Big Time Charmed
by TheSkyWriter
Summary: Big Time Rush. Four best friends, four brothers, four...witches? With magical powers, it's not exactly unlikely to attract magical attention. Especially if you're the Charmed Ones. But it does make living it Big Time kind of difficult with demons and monsters breaking down your door. Whoever said life was easy never met Big Time Rush. DISCONTINUED.
1. Pre-Charmed

_Kendall's POV:_

"See?" Jo smiled up at me, her hair slicked back out of her face from the hot water of the shower we were currently occupying, the steam causing all the mirrors to fog. "I _told_ you we could find a place to be alone."

I smirked. "Oh, yeah, sure. Now we just have to move the bed in here, along with all our things…" I pretended to muse, laughing quietly as she lightly smacked my arm.

Being married was everything I had expected it to be, everything I had hoped for really. Save for the days Jo was gone to look after her other charges or was needed Up There, she was here, with me. There was no greater feeling than getting to wake up with her in my arms, it was almost perfect. I grinned and pulled her into a deep kiss, allowing my hands to wander south...

Keyword almost. A shrill knock grabbed both of our attention, and so did that voice. "I'm not looking at anything! I see nothing!" James cried, rushing into the bathroom with his hands over his eyes. "No one's looking at nothing! Not looking at anything! Just need my lucky comb!"

"James!" I yelped, facepalming as Jo tried to hide herself behind me.

"Sorry, sorry!" James turned back to us and peeked through his fingers. "You guys weren't…Never mind! _Ew_!"

"No!" I grumbled. "Not yet at least…James, would you just get out of here!" I shouted.

"Got it! I got it! Leaving, leaving now!" James announced, holding up his lucky comb and walking out of the bathroom with his hand still over his eyes. I groaned when James walked right into the towel rack. "Ow! I'm fine, I'm fine!" James reassured loudly. "Just, you know, go back to whatever it was you were doing!" He exited the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Oh, the joys of roommates." Jo mumbled sarcastically. I snorted.

 _End Kendall's POV:_

Luckily, the next time they were barged in on, they weren't fully naked. Unluckily, it was about five minutes after the James incident. Kendall had just finished tying off the belt of his robe when there was a sharp knock on the newlyweds' bedroom door, followed by Logan walking in with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Hi, Logan." Kendall deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"Hey, guys." Logan searched the top of the dresser. "Um, you haven't seen my Sociology textbook, have you?"

"Nope." Kendall popped the p. "But I _do_ see an intruder."

Logan lifted his chocolate eyes, floundering for a second. "I-I knocked." He reminded his older brother, pointing back at the door.

"Yeah, but you didn't wait for an answer." Kendall pointed out with a strained grin.

"Oh, _oh_ , okay. Uh, sorry." Logan blanched. "I-I'll, I'll just go." Kendall nodded as his younger brother backtracked and left the room, and sighed as a pair of arms slid around his waist, his wife resting her head in the space between his shoulder blades.

"Well, we did know what we were getting into." Jo pointed out softly.

Kendall sighed again, turning around and putting his arms around the blonde whitelighter. "True." He agreed. "But, what if it was time to get out of it?"

Jo glanced up at him, her brown eyes full of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Kendall bit his lip and guided his wife over to the bed, sitting them both down. "You've gotta admit that it's getting kinda crowded, even in this big manor." He began slowly. "The guys and I are really close but I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic with the lack of personal space. So, I went looking, and I think I found a really good apartment for us that's not far off."

Jo gaped at him. "Uh, wow. Are, are you sure?"

"Rent's a little steep but I think we'll be able to manage." Kendall nodded.

"That's not what I meant. I meant, are you sure you're ready to leave your brothers?" Jo asked gently, taking his hands. "You guys have always lived in close proximity since you were in diapers, and for the past three years you've all lived together. First at the Palm Woods and then here at the manor."

"We gotta go separate some time. Why not now?" Kendall shrugged. "We can't keep living here together forever. Eventually, someone's gotta get up and go."

"Okay, but what about the Power of Four?" Jo asked. "You're all the most connected here, and the demon battles are easier when you're all under one roof."

"It's not like we'll be moving far, just a couple of blocks away." Kendall replied. "Look, if you don't want to do it then we won't. It, it just seems like a good idea. When do we stop thinking of our Charmed lives and about our married life? Maybe this apartment is the first step to that." Kendall shrugged again. "But, like I said, if you don't want to-," He was silenced by his wife climbing onto his lap and pulling him into a deep kiss.

"I would love to." Jo informed him with a smile. Kendall grinned and reconnected their lips.

But pulled away with a thoughtful frown on his face. Jo raised her eyebrows at him. "What are the chances that we pull this off before another demon attacks?" He asked her with a bushy eyebrow quirked. Jo pursed her lips in thought.

BTC

Across the city, in a single bedroom and bathroom apartment with the curtains drawn, sat a woman, her legs folded neatly underneath her as the candles circled around her provided her with the light she needed. Decorating the wall behind her were shelves of ornate glass bottles and vials. Her eyes were closed, her posture relaxed as she repeated the words of an old chant. A moment of chanting, and the candles around her began to rise without any outside help. Still, she continued to chant.

Until she was startled by a thing with fur landing in her lap. The candles shook and then fell, thankfully landing on their bottoms and not their sides. "Shadow!" She scolded the black cat. "You scared me! You should know better than to interrupt me during ritual. Now go on. Off with you." She shooed the cat away and forced herself to relax, and began chanting once again.

Only to be distracted by the sound of glass shattering behind her. "Shadow! What are you-," She turned around just in time to see the black cat push another vial off the shelf, right on top of the first one. Horror settled in her features. "Shadow," She began slowly, as if she were trying to appease the feline. The cat snarled at her, baring its teeth. "Please." She begged. "Don't do this."

But the cat seemed intent on its cause. It pushed another vial off the shelf, and it shattered where the first two fell. "No!" The witch cried as her cat hopped down from the shelf and sat down in the mixture of potions. Immediately a white vapor formed from the mix of potions, enveloping the cat and transforming it into a portly man with greasy brown hair and beady eyes.

"What's the matter?" The former feline hissed at the witch as the white smoke drifted over to her. "Cat got your tongue?" He mocked.

The witch screamed as the vapor surrounded her, and she imploded, the smoke vanishing from sight. The former cat smirked.

BTC

"Flakes?" James asked, his magazine hiding his face from view. Jo, distracted by her own section of the newspaper, grabbed the box of cereal and passed it the witch. Breakfast was going as it normally did. Jo had her newspaper, Logan his textbook, James his magazine, and Carlos his cookbook. Only Kendall didn't have his book in front of him, he was staring nervously across the table as Jo didn't have to finish asking for the sugar to her Rice Krispies, Logan was already sliding it to her.

"Jo and I are moving out!" Kendall blurted. Two heavy books and a magazine hit the table, and Jo's paper crinkled as she pulled it down. All four having expressions of surprise. "Milk?" He offered, sliding the carton to the middle of the table.

"Excuse me?" Logan sputtered.

"Wait a minute!" James cried. "Life-altering plans can _not_ be introduced between 'Who at the Reese's?' and 'Who drank all the coffee?'"

"When did you decide this?" Carlos demanded.

"Last night." Jo admitted.

"And you didn't think to call family meeting?" James demanded incredulously.

"Okay, look." Kendall began, gaining the table's attention. "We all knew that this would happen sooner or later, and it's just sooner. Or, later, rather, seeing as I've been married for over a month and I'm still sharing a bathroom with my little brother."

"Yeah, the little brother that you save the world with on a weekly basis along with your other little brothers." Logan pointed out.

"One time. _One_ _time_ I walk in on you and Jo, and it was an emergency!" James groaned.

"Kendall, you know that we don't just live together because we can't go out on our own." Logan reasoned. "We all could move out. We live here together because we're the strongest here."

"Power of Four? Great-grandmother's manor?" Carlos reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Little help here?" Kendall glanced pointedly at his wife.

"You guys have handled things on your own before, without Kendall here, right?" Jo reasoned.

"Yeah, like when I took Katie and Mom to Disney World." Kendall reminded them. "And you guys dealt fine."

"Can I kick him?" James asked Logan and Carlos in annoyance.

"I drank a potion that stopped my heart to vanquish a ghost." Carlos deadpanned. "You qualify that as 'fine'?"

"Look, Kendall, like it or not, the Power of Four is just that!" Logan informed him. "Four!"

"And it would still be four." Jo reassured him. "We're not going far."

"It's just a couple of blocks. That's all." Kendall agreed. "Just far enough to have our own lives. We all knew this would happen, I'm just saying it first. We can't all live together forever."

"Right, but we can't just ignore the responsibilities that come with living together, too." Logan replied. "Or did you forget the last time that happened? You guys called off your wedding because Astral Carlos decided it was time to take a hike?"

Carlos slapped the back of his head. "Cheap shot."

"Explanation." Logan corrected. "Our responsibilities come from our family, and we can't turn our back on that."

"Yeah, but now I have two families to look after." Kendall pointed out. "Besides, Mr. I Wanna Be Famous," Kendall shot a pointed look at James. "Wasn't it you that we followed all the way up here to LA?"

"That doesn't count!" James cried, slightly offended. "How was I supposed to know that our parents' magical books would all combine into one and we'd get the _Charmed_ talk?"

"Yeah, but they did, and we've been demon fighting ever since." Carlos reminded him. "When all under one roof!" He added pointedly. "What would our parents say right now if they heard this?"

 _Flashback_

 _"Oh, nice job redecorating, boys." Brooke Diamond approved, her eyes light with excitement as she walked into the newly remolded Apartment 2J followed by the boys, Katie, Sylvia Garcia, Jennifer Knight, and Joanna Mitchell._

 _"The swirly slide was my idea." Carlos declared, raising his hand excitedly. Sylvia kissed his cheek._

 _"I still can't believe that my baby boy is moving out." Joanna sighed sadly. "Are you sure you can handle all of them by yourself, Jen? Maybe I should stay with you." She offered._

 _"No, Mom!" Logan cried. Joanna shot him a look. "I mean, Aunt Jen is perfectly capable of handling all of us, promise. Plus, you've got your business back in Minnesota. You can't just pull up stake and come to LA." He chuckled nervously and Joanna pinched his cheek._

 _"Alright. But call me every other day." Joanna commanded._

 _"Got it. Call you once a month." Logan agreed, ducking behind Kendall before his mother could get ahold of him._

 _"This is gonna be great!" Katie tossed herself on the sofa. "What could be better than living in LA?"_

 _"How about being safe?" Brooke muttered. All heads turned to her._

 _"Brooke." Sylvia warned._

 _"What do you mean, Mom?" James demanded. "We'll be fine. Why wouldn't we be?"_

 _"Maybe because you're four young witches that are about to be thrust into the spotlight." Brooke snapped._

 _"She has a point." Joanna sighed. "It'll be way too easy for demons to find you now. What, with your names and faces going on everything imaginable."_

 _"Which is why," Sylvia walked over to the kitchen counter, where a few boxes had been placed until they could be unpacked. "We've all decided to trust you with these." She turned around and revealed a medium-sized green leather tome with a sharp oval pointing down on the cover in her hands. Jennifer, Brooke, and Joanna all reached into the box and pulled out their own green leather books, each with a different symbol of a sharp point oval pointing into a different direction. Up, right, left, and down._

 _"But, those are-," Logan gasped._

 _"The most prized possessions of our family." Joanna agreed. "The Warren Line Book of Shadows, each one separate part."_

 _"We've kept them safe and turned to them for guidance since they were passed down to us by our parents, your grandparents." Sylvia continued, walking into the living room. Katie scooted down to the end of the couch to make room for the line of women, and Sylvia smiled at her son. "And now it's our turn to pass them down to you." One by one, Sylvia, Jennifer, Brooke, and Joanna placed their own sections of the Book on the coffee table._

 _But before their sons could take what was supposed to be their section of the Book, the insignias on the covers began to glow. "Um, Mom?" Kendall demanded, his voice laced with uncertainty as the books began to each glow with a brilliant white light. They all watched in amazement at the lights shot to the center of the table, taking the books with them. With a flash of bright light, they all gasped._

 _"Whoa." Carlos and Katie breathed. Instead of four medium-sized Books of Shadows lying on the table, now there was just one_ _ **giant**_ _green leather bound tome, with a four-point circle star insignia in the middle of the front cover._

 _"What was that?!" Logan squeaked fearfully. "What just happened?!"_

 _Their mothers all shared looks of stunned amazement and shock. "It's time." Joanna breathed._

 _"Time?" James repeated shrilly. "Time for_ _ **what**_ _?"_

 _End Flashback._

"Now is the time!" James rolled his eyes at the advertiser as he walked down the street toward the grocery store. It was his turn to pick up the food that would go in the kitchen, since Kendall and Jo were going to pick up boxes for the move, Carlos was attending another cooking competition, and Logan was in class. Not that he minded. It meant that he could grab extra man spray and other products that he needed without the guys knowing, even on a limited budget.

"We seriously need to start thinking about some small part time jobs to pay the bills." James mumbled to himself, then paused and let out a groan. "God, I'm growing old and _responsible_!" He whined with a shudder.

"Such a bad thing, huh witch?" A voice snarled lowly behind James. The pretty witch gasped and whirled around, backing away from the portly man with greasy brown hair. The portly warlock with the greasy brown hair and glowing red eyes.

"I'll show you bad!" James snapped his wrist forward, but the warlock caught his punch easily and twisted his wrist, shoving him into the wall of a building. "Okay, that's it!" James growled, picking up a broken piece of wood with a splintered end and throwing it at the warlock. It impaled dead center in the forehead, and the warlock jerked before exploding to bits. "Ha!" James cried victoriously.

BTC

"I think we got too many boxes." Kendall informed Jo as they left the store and headed to the van, both toting armfuls of cardboard boxes.

"No, we didn't." Jo replied calmly.

"Says the whitelighter who's only living here part time." Kendall snorted. "There is no way in hell that we need all these boxes just for me."

"Yes, there is." Jo smiled at him.

Kendall raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you saying I have too much stuff?"

"Yes, yes I am." Jo confirmed. Kendall, very childishly, stuck his tongue out at her.

"You do realize that the only reason you're getting away with that is because you're the only one batting for me right now, right?" Kendall informed her.

"Yes, I do." Jo nodded, stuffing the boxes into the back of the van. "Just give them some time to process. We did kind of spring this on them."

"You would prefer what?" Kendall retorted. "Waiting for them to ask 'Hey, why are you packing all your stuff?' or 'Hey, why's your room full of boxes?' All I'm saying is a little support would be nice. This is a big deal for me, too." The blonde witch turned to get in the drivers' seat when a portly man with greasy brown hair appeared right in his personal space. "Wha-Hey!" Kendall shouted, the man raising him several feet in the air without touching him. "You stoned ass!" Kendall roared, waving his arms and transforming the warlock, his wife, and everyone else within ten feet of him into stone statues of themselves. He'd forgotten that the un-rocked warlock was the only thing keeping him from falling, and he harshly landed on his backside on the asphalt. "Jo! Little help!" Kendall yelped, waving his hand at his wife just as the warlock was beginning to move and transforming her back.

"Uh, here!" Jo tossed him a hockey stick from the back of the van.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!" Kendall exclaimed, scrambling to his feet as the warlock's skin turned from stony to yellowish pink. Jo mimed a swing and Kendall copied her, but with much more force. The butt of the hockey stick collided with the temple of the warlock, and with a grunt of pain, the warlock exploded into black dust.

"Are you okay?" Jo demanded, rushing over to check on her husband with worry in her brown eyes.

Kendall held up the stick and groaned. The head had snapped under the force. "I'm-,"

 _Flashback_

" _Great! Just great!" Brooke fumed, pacing the apartment floor in front of the television._

 _"What pissed you off?" The ghostly form of Kevin Knight demanded, his arms crossed in front of his chest. After the merging of the Book, Joanna, Sylvia, Jennifer, and Brooke had sent the boys and Katie away from the apartment to talk. And to call on their late cousin/husband for his input on this._

 _"You really wanna go there, Knight?" Brooke growled at him._

 _"What are you gonna do? One, I'm already dead, and two, you have no powers, Miss Estate Lauder." Kevin rolled his green eyes._

 _"That's enough, you two." Joanna rolled her eyes._

 _"Looks like death really doesn't change a relationship." Sylvia whispered to Jennifer._

 _"Look, Brooke, the Books were separate when we took them out of the box, and they were separate when we put them on the table. They joined the second we passed them onto the boys." Joanna reminded her. "I may not like it any more than you do, but we can't ignore that. We can't ignore their destiny."_

 _"Why can't we?" Brooke demanded shrilly. "We've averted Destiny before! We've changed the outcome of the future, haven't we? Why can't we do it again?"_

 _"Because if we do then people could get hurt, even killed." Kevin pointed out. "People that our children were meant to save and protect! And who was it that said Destiny always gets its own way?"_

 _"James is my baby! It's bad enough he has the power of premonition, why should he have to endure the hardships of being a Charmed One?" Brooke cried._

 _"James will always be your baby, Brooke." Sylvia replied soothingly, standing and pulling her friend into a hug. "Just like Carlos will always be mine and Logan and Kendall will always be Joanna's and Jennifer's. Those are_ _ **our**_ _babies." Sylvia smiled comfortingly as tears filled Brooke's eyes. She sighed. "But they're not babies anymore. They're young men, and like it or not, this is their destiny. And you know that as well as the rest of us that there's no avoiding this. We tried that, remember? Didn't work."_

 _"The calling is a gift, Brooke. Not a curse like you think." Kevin added, his voice tender. "Called by Melinda Warren herself, the start of the family line. You've all done so well with the boys. Raised them to be great young men." He shot a smile at his wife. "But now, it's time to step back and let them become great witches."_

 _"The greatest witches the world will ever know." Joanna added._

 _"The Power of Four." Brooke finished with a heartbroken smile. "We, um, we don't have to step completely back, do we?" She asked in a hopeful croak._

 _"Oh, no." Sylvia disagreed._

 _"Like we'll ever stop watching out for our boys." Joanna snorted._

 _"And you better believe that I'll coming running back down here should they ever need me." Kevin added. He frowned. "Or, flying. I don't know, you know what I mean!" He and the women all cracked up in small giggles._

 _"So now all we have to do is tell them." Jennifer sighed._

 _"Who wants to bet that Logan will go into complete denial?" Brooke asked, smiling as Joanna slapped her arm with a smile._

 _End Flashback_

"Okay, hey!" James hollered, kicking the manor's front door shut. Logan walked into the foyer out of the living room with the Wii remote in his hands and Carlos on his heels.

"What happened to going to get groceries?" Logan demanded, gesturing to James's empty hands.

"Well, you can thank the-," James began.

"Warlock!" Kendall announced, walking in from the kitchen. "Warlock attacked, had to kick his ass with a damn hockey stick!"

"Hold up, you too?" James demanded, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline.

"Uh, us three!" Carlos declared, raising his and Logan's hands. "Warlock attacked us in the kitchen after you guys left."

"Did we miss a convention?" James demanded. "And I got the fatso of the litter! Pot belly, ugly face-,"

"Greasy hair?" Kendall interrupted, his emerald eyes widening.

"Bad breath?" Carlos added.

"You guys know him?" James furrowed his brow.

"Yeah, I think Jo and I killed him." Kendall agreed.

"Care to try again?" A snivelly voice sneered, the warlock appearing against the wall. He raised his hand and Logan yelped as he was sent flying into the air and held up against the wall over the landing. James let out a battle cry and levitated into the air, judo kicking the warlock in the face and sending him tumbling into the grandfather clock.

"Really? We _really_ can't afford to keep fixing that thing!" Kendall scolded. Carlos formed a fireball and threw it at the warlock, both the fireball and the warlock exploding into black dust upon impact. Logan screeched as he was dropped harshly onto the landing.

"Okay. Well, that's that." James bit his lip.

"Again." Logan huffed, hobbling down the stairs. "Did anyone else find that really weird?"

"Yeah, like he wasn't even trying." Carlos nodded.

"Like he wasn't even interested." Kendall mused with a thoughtful frown. "What do you think he was up to?"

"Or _is_ up to." Logan corrected. "We killed him four times now and he's come back three. How do we know he's really gone this time?"

"Almost as if he's impossible to vanquish." Carlos mumbled.

BTC

 _"I've been working on a vanquish…_ " Carlos sang quietly, standing next to Logan in front of the Book while Kendall and James paced the floor in front of them. "All the live long-whoa!" He yelped, the pages suddenly moving on their own.

"Gotta love our ancestors." Logan muttered with a smirk, peering down at the page. "To Perform a Séance?" He read. "We're trying to vanquish a warlock here, not call on the dead!" He called up to the ceiling.

"Yeah, and the guy that we're dealing with won't die, so that's no help." Kendall added.

"You think Uncle Kevin and Grams have spent a little too much time up there?" James asked him with a smirk.

"They must be getting a little on the confused side." Carlos hummed, closing the Book. Logan yelped when it flipped back open forcefully, causing the standard to wobble a bit.

"And very testy!" Logan squeaked.

"I take back what I said!" James called apologetically. Kendall snorted.

"Okay, so, a séance. How do we do it?" Kendall asked expectantly.

"Uhh, we need six candles, three white and three purple." Carlos read. "Burning cinnamon, sandalwood, and frankincense."

"Kendall, you wanna grab the white cloth out of the trunk?" Logan asked, walking over to the shelf next to the window and grabbing the jar of sandalwood. The blonde witch nodded and peered at the mentioned trunk.

"You know, this would be kinda cool to have in the apartment." Kendall mused, opening the lid.

"You're kidding, right?" Carlos snorted. "As cool as my foot up your ass. You are _not_ taking that-it's got all our ritual stuff in it, okay?"

"Okay, okay, jeez." Kendall raised his hands in surrender and threw the cloth at him. "I just want to have some stuff to remember this place by."

"Wouldn't need to take all the stuff that belongs to, oh yeah, _all_ of us if you and Jo just stayed here." Logan hummed. "Next thing we know you'll claim _oldest_ and _married_ status and try to take the Book with you." Kendall snorted and opened his mouth to retort.

"Not getting into this now; we have a dead spirit to summon." James interrupted, placing the candles on the table in a circle.

"I second that." Carlos raised his hand and lit his fingers with flames, firing them at the candle wicks and lighting the candles.

"Who needs a lighter when we have Fire Boy?" James tousled Carlos's hair with a grin. All four took a spot around the table and began to chant.

" _Beloved unknown spirit,_

 _We seek your guidance._

 _We ask that you commune with us,_

 _And move among us._

 _Beloved unknown spirit,_

 _We seek your-,"_

Their chant was cut short by a flurry of bright white lights swirling behind them, and they turned just as they revealed a transparent woman in a deep blue robe. "Pardon me, but why-?" She began in confusion.

"We're not completely sure." Kendall admitted.

"We were told through a loop that you would be able to help us." Logan explained.

"You are all witches?" The woman asked curiously. The boys all nodded. "You're all the four witches, the descendants of Melinda Warren? The Charmed Ones?"

"That would be us." James confirmed with a small smile.

"And you're a witch, too?" Carlos assumed questioningly.

"I-," She hesitated. "I...was." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "This is so new. I don't have it all figured out just yet."

"We think that we're up against an evil that can't be killed." Kendall informed her, cutting right to the chase. "We've all killed him four times, but he just keeps coming back."

"And since you were the one to answer our call…" James gestured to her helplessly.

"The spirits must think I know what you're up against." The former witch nodded.

"Do you?" Logan asked, furrowing his brow.

"Maybe. You say you killed him four times? And he keeps coming back to you?" The witch clarified.

"Yeah, it's almost as if he-," Carlos began.

"Wants to die." She finished.

"Exactly." Kendall nodded. "Do you know who he is?"

"He was my familiar." She confessed. "A black cat I called Shadow. He's a warlock now, what a familiar becomes when they betray their witch."

"Which explains why he keeps coming back. The whole nine lives thing." Logan realized.

"So, what? We kill him five more times and we're good?" James asked.

"No." The ghost shook her head. "Killing him five more times will only get him what he wants."

"And that is?" Carlos demanded.

"Once a familiar becomes a warlock, it has until the next new moon to purge itself of its old life." She explained. "If it succeeds, it becomes immortal. If it fails, it returns to its familiar form for eternity. Shadow _was_ a cat. So, in order to become immortal, he has to shed each of his nine lives."

"And we've helped him do it four times. Fabulous." Logan groaned.

"So why come to us?" James demanded. "Why not just jump off nine buildings?"

"Because that's not strong enough to kill him. We are." Kendall realized.

"And he knew exactly where to find us. We must be in the demon's guide to Los Angeles." James muttered.

"Okay, so, this should be easy right?" Carlos demanded. "All we have to do is not kill him before the new moon. He transforms back into a miserable cat for a miserable eternity."

"That's two days from now. Simple enough." Kendall replied.

"Sorry. This must seem so rude." Logan apologized to the witch. "You just died and we're treating you like a textbook." His brothers had matching expressions of guilt on their faces.

But the witch smiled at them. "It's perfectly fine. I'm at peace now, and I'm happy to help however I can. It's just, my friends and family-," She sighed. "When death comes so suddenly, there is no time for goodbyes."

Kendall licked his lips. "Something we're all too familiar with." He admitted.

"Evil, at its very center, only exists for one reason." She explained. "To create loss. Be careful not to lose one another." She warned. "Take caution and care. Blessed be." In a second flurry of white lights, she was gone. Logan sighed and leaned over, blowing out one of the candles.

 _Flashback._

 _"What if we're wrong?" Sylvia sighed. "I-I mean, what if we tell them this and they're not ready?" Brooke demanded, pacing the living room. "What if it blows up in their faces?"_

 _"It won't." Sylvia reassured her friend. "The boys are strong. Look at who they came from. They're more than capable."_

 _"It's not the_ _ **come**_ _ **from**_ _part I'm worried about Sylvia!" Brooke retorted. The two women were alone in the apartment, Jennifer and Joanna going to track down the boys and Katie and bring them back to the apartment to talk. "It's the_ _ **going**_ _part that scares me!"_

 _"They're_ _ **Warrens**_ _, Brooke." Sylvia reminded her. "This is who they are. If anyone can handle their destiny, they can. I know telling you to stop worrying is telling you not to breathe, but the boys will be fine. If any of us believed that they couldn't do this we would have stripped them of their powers, not just bound them." Brooke opened her mouth to retort, but was stopped by the door opening and Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan walking back into the apartment, followed by Katie, Joanna, and Jennifer._

 _"Are you finally going to tell us what is going on now?" Kendall demanded._

 _"Katie, honey, maybe you should go wait in your room." Jennifer suggested._

 _"What? Why?" Katie protested._

 _"No, Jen. She'll hear it from the boys anyway." Joanna sighed. "Let her stay if she wants to." Katie fist-pumped and sat down on the couch, the boys taking the seats next to her and giving their parents expectant looks. Their parents shared looks of their own and placed the Book of Shadows on the table._

 _"You all know who Melinda Warren is, correct?" Brooke began unwillingly. She_ _ **really**_ _didn't want to do this. But all the boys and Katie nodded._

 _"She was the start of our family line." Logan answered. "The strongest force of good magic to be born in the New World."_

 _"Exactly." Joanna agreed. "And you know that she was killed in the Salem Witch Trials?"_

 _"She burned at the stake." Katie piped up._

 _"Yes, but, before she burned…" Suddenly, the Book flipped itself open the pages began turning on their own, finally landing on a page titled The Charmed Ones. Sylvia sighed and pushed the Book closer to the boys. "Before she burned, she spoke a prophecy. She said that there wouldn't be an end to her family line, that it wouldn't deteriorate, but grow stronger and stronger with time, and eventually cultivate the arrival of four witches. These four witches would not only inherit her powers and her magic, but would have magic stronger than the world has ever seen, vanquish tons of evil, and be known as the Charmed Ones."_

 _"Her powers included shapeshifting, telekinesis, premonitions, and pyromancy." Jennifer added, watching as each boy's head shot up one by one as she listed off Melinda's powers. Their powers._

 _"You don't seriously think…" Logan squeaked, his voice high-pitched and shrill._

 _"Not at first, honey. Not for several years." Joanna reassured him quietly. "When Kevin died, and your powers were unbound, we just thought you inherited your powers from us, and that you were strong because of who you were born to. It wasn't until the Book combined into one that we knew who you were destined to be. The greatest witches the world has ever known." She finished with a small smile._

 _"What does that Book combining have to do with anything?!" Logan whined, pointing to the Book of Shadows._

 _"Logan, honey," Sylvia squatted down in front of him and held his hands. "The Power of Four, the Charmed Ones are born from a brotherhood so tightly bound together that it creates the greatest magic ever thought possible. The Book could only be brought together when such a bond is in existence. Such a bond that the four of you have."_

 _"In other words, the guys are so gay for each other that it makes them pretty much invincible." Katie snorted._

 _"Katie!" Jennifer scolded shrilly._

 _"What?" Katie snarked back._

 _"The four of you may not be related by blood, but you're brothers in spirit. It's that bond that unified the Book, and it's that bond that makes you the four of Melinda's prophecy." Joanna explained with a pointed look at the youngest Knight._

 _"This is who you are." Jennifer said with a small smile. "This is your destiny."_

 _End Flashback._

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" James demanded, walking into the pitch-black kitchen and immediately starting the search for the light switch. The lights flickered to life and James let out a startled cry at the warlock in the middle of the kitchen.

"Hello, witch!" He snarled, making a grab for James. But the pretty witch spun on his heel and kicked him back into the stove, where the warlock convulsed and exploded into a plume of black dust. James groaned at the sight of the bloody meat fork sitting on the edge of the stove.

"Hey! What happened? Are you okay?" Logan and Kendall raced into the kitchen just as James picked up the meat fork.

"I, uh," James winced. "I think I accidentally killed our neighborhood warlock. Again."

"James!" Both his older brother groaned in exasperation.

"I didn't mean to!" James defended himself. "All I did was kick him back into the stove! The fork was pre-placed or something!"

"So, that's five down four to go." Logan groaned. "Great." All three boys left the kitchen and walked into the foyer, where Carlos was coming down the stairs.

"What happened?" He demanded. "I heard yelling." James winced and held up the bloody fork.

"Whoopsie?" He offered.

"James!" Carlos scolded. "We're supposed to keep him alive to the new moon!"

"First time we'll ever use _that_ phrase with a warlock." Logan muttered.

"You know, I've been thinking." Carlos admitted. "What are the chances he'll actually hurt us?"

"Pretty high, I'd say." James replied, tossing the fork onto the coffee table. He'd wash it later. And bleach it.

"Are we so sure? I mean, he needs us to keep killing him. What use are we to him if we're all dead?" Carlos pointed out. "So, worst case scenario, he kills one of us, the Power of Four is forever broken, we no longer have the power to keep killing him, and we watch him take an eternity long cat nap."

"If he's smart enough to know this." Kendall added.

"Yeah, but what if he isn't?" Logan was beginning to see where his baby brother was going with this. "What if he isn't smart enough to know that he shouldn't kill us? And we just sit there and watch it happen?"

"But do we have another choice?" James pointed out. "Four more times and he comes back for real, and that time for blood. Most likely ours, and with no way to stop him. Either way we lose."

"I vote for not losing at all." Carlos announced.

"Hmm." James hummed, wandering over to the side of the staircase where all of Kendall's boxes have found a temporary home.

"Oh, yeah. I'll get that moved here soon, I just-," Kendall began to excuse himself.

"You're really doing this?" Logan asked softly.

"Yeah." Kendall nodded slowly. "I mean, its not like we haven't lived apart before."

"We were all kids, Kendall. And that was before the Charmed Ones thing." Carlos pointed out. "It's different now."

"Can we just talk this through before you go?" Logan requested quietly. "That way we can all know and understand what the consequences are gonna be for all of us?"

Kendall glanced at the faces of his younger brothers, and damn it he could never deny them anything. "Yeah, yeah, okay. We'll talk." Kendall sighed, going and opening the front door to let Kit out.

BTC

"You know, just because I'm moving out doesn't mean we can't still do this." Kendall pointed out the next morning. The brothers had decided to have breakfast and talk at a small restaurant in downtown LA.

"And what would this be, exactly?" James asked sassily. "Biding our time and waiting for the next warlock appearance." Kendall threw his napkin at him.

"I meant hang out. We'll still be brothers." Kendall explained. "I don't want to be one of those married guys that never leaves the house or anything. I can still have fun."

"By going antique shopping and picking up the wife's dry cleaning?" Carlos hummed around his cup of coffee. Kendall stuck his tongue out at him.

"You know it's not the life changes that we're so worried about, Kendall." Logan pointed out. "It's the supernatural ones that have us concerned."

"We get ambushed separately all the time." Kendall reminded him. "Like Carlos and his little friend the Dream Sorceress? Only went after him and we came together and sorted it out after. Or me and the Wendigo? Or Logan and that empath demon? Why would this be any different?"

Before any of his brothers could retort, someone else interrupted. "Sure is getting harder and harder to find you boys." The familiar voice of the warlock sneered. They turned around and spotted him seated at the table behind him. "I'm beginning to think that you boys are trying to hide from me."

"Wow, a warlock that thinks. That's a new one." James snorted.

"Pretty catty of you, James." Carlos informed him.

"Is this the part that I go 'Oh no, they did their research!' and run away?" The warlock droned.

"Tail between your legs?" Logan offered. "Might be your smartest decision."

"And what'll you do if I don't? Kill me?" The Warlock shot back.

"No, actually. We'll do much worse." Kendall informed him with a dark smirk. "We won't lay a finger on you."

"Oh, lookie here. The witches think they have this all figured out." The warlock sneered. "Well, let me remind you of something." He stood and grabbed a woman that was passing by, holding up a silver knife. "Don't play the game if you don't know the rules!" He hissed, and plunged the knife into the woman.

"Kendall!" Logan shrieked, but his brother was already acting, waving his arms and transforming everyone in the area into stone statues of themselves. The warlock was already transforming back when James raced over and stabbed him with the knife off their table. He smirked before exploding into black dust. Everyone transformed back and Kendall, Logan, and Carlos knelt beside the woman who'd been stabbed, Logan propping her up and pressing his hand into the wound. "Someone call 911!" He yelled.

BTC

"That poor woman." James moaned, placing his head in his hands. The guys were back in the manor, back in the kitchen, with Carlos at the stove, Kendall leaning against the counter, and Logan and James at the table. "There was no reason at all for that. I'm so used to there being a reason."

"There was a reason, James." Kendall pointed out softly. "He wanted to send us a message."

"And we got it, loud and clear." Logan sighed, raking a hand through his hair. Carlos scowled and tossed a few pinches of salt into the pot on the stove on the island. "But there's nothing that we can do that we haven't already done."

"So, what? He keeps killing until we kill him?" James demanded.

"Hence the rules of the game." Kendall sighed. "Hey, what are you doing? Making a potion?" He asked his baby brother with a furrow of his brow.

"Nah. I wouldn't know where to start with one of those." Carlos shook his head. "I'm antsy, so I'm keeping my hands busy. Something Mama taught me to do." He grabbed a spoon and started stirring. "But all I've got is mud." He made a face as some of the brown gunk dripped off the spoon and back into the pan. "Not my best cooking."

"Well, how do we kill a warlock that we shouldn't kill?" Logan demanded.

"We've only got another three chances to figure it out." Kendall answered. Carlos sprinkled some mustard seed into his muddy concoction.

BTC

"Ugh, it's on our couch!" Carlos's disgusted cry triggered his brother's entry into the living room, where he was found glaring at the sofa where the warlock was sitting.

"The Charmed Ones." The warlock purred. The boys glared at him. "What does a fella have to do to get murdered around here?"

"In this house, not much." James muttered. "But not going to happen." He added, more loudly.

"Well, I suppose I could just, um," The warlock mused, pushing himself to a standing position. "Sever a head?"

"Don't even think about it!" Kendall snarled, waving his hand at the warlock, who immediately turned into a statue. Kendall jolted as if realizing something. "Wait, this is it! I can just keep him transformed until midnight! Problem solved!" He cried.

But the warlock-statue let out a groan before returning to the original warlock. "Oh, I'll just keep getting better and better at this." He hummed, motioning the boys to follow him as he walked into the foyer.

"Good idea while it lasted!" Logan yelped, racing into the foyer behind his brothers.

"Come on now, we're burning daylight!" The warlock beckoned like he was calling his dogs. He leaned against the door. "You know I'll just keep killing." He informed them with a smirk. "And the next one won't be so painless. The next one I'll enjoy. Is that what you want? How many more people have to die before you do as I ask?"

" _None_!" Kendall roared, shapeshifting into a cheetah and pouncing on the warlock. His teeth easily found the throat and with a small gurgle, the cheetah was alone by the door. "Bleh!" Kendall gagged, spitting out red. "I'll never get the taste out of my mouth!" He smiled sheepishly at his brothers. "Sorry, I just-,"

"You had to." Logan sighed.

"I would have but you beat me to it." Carlos added.

"Okay, so he's only got two lives left, and we're down to one option." James pointed out.

"We've already looked in the Book." Carlos reminded him.

"We look again." Kendall decided. "And no pussyfooting around this time."

BTC

The warlock let out a scream as he exploded into dust, the iron poker dropping to the floor. "Well, that's number eight." Logan announced.

"I know they say that life isn't fair, but this sucks." Carlos complained.

"Death isn't supposed to be brief, it's permanent, and this guy can cheat it not once, but nine times?" Kendall agreed, pouting slightly at the unfairness. "What happened to cheaters never prosper?"

"You know, if he had any idea what death was really like, he wouldn't be so eager for it." James pointed out.

"Yeah, James, the real thing. Not this abridged version that he gets to worm his way through." Logan reminded him.

"So, what if we showed him?" James suggested. "I mean, he has to feel pain every time he dies, right?"

"Yeah, but only for a split second." Carlos agreed, not seeing where this was going.

"But what if we could, somehow, catch him in that second?" James was beginning to grin. "That instant moment of true death, and we magnify it times nine?"

"Then he…feels the pain of nine deaths and it just might be enough to kill him." Logan realized. "Ooh, James, you're a genius!" He cheered.

"Remember, we only have one shot at this." Kendall reminded them. "Do we have any other ideas?" There were three synchronized head shakes. "Okay, let's do it."

 _Flashback._

 _"Hey, has anyone seen Logan?" Carlos asked, bouncing up to Kendall with a hockey stick in his hands and his pads on. "I wanted to play some outdoor hockey." He explained._

 _Kendall shook his head. "I haven't seen him since Aunt Joanna, Sylvia, and Brooke left." He admitted._

 _"Yeah, he's taking the Charmed One thing kinda hard." Carlos nodded._

 _"And you're not?" Both boys whirled around to find their best friend leaning against the kitchen counter._

 _"It's our destiny, Loges. I mean, we get to be the greatest good witches known to man. It's like we're superheroes or something!" Carlos finished with a smile._

 _"Yeah, but at what cost?" The smart boy muttered. "We'll never get a normal life, or a normal family, or a normal anything because a demon is always going to be after us per our dead ancestor! I don't know how we're planning on keeping up the band! Shit, we might as well quit now and go back home!" His voice was high-pitched and squeaking by the last word._

 _"We can't do that, Logan. You know James would be crushed, this is his dream!" Kendall reminded his younger friend._

 _"Well, apparently, destiny says screw that dream. You might never play professional hockey, I might never become a doctor, Carlos won't get to do whatever the hell he wants to do!" Logan was close to shouting. He wasn't sure if he wanted to shout or cry. He kind of felt like doing both._

 _"I'm hearing a lot of 'might's." Kendall pointed out with a soft smile._

 _"So?" Logan shot back._

 _"So, those are 'might's, not 'will be's." Kendall replied gently, guiding Logan over to the sofa and sitting down next to him. "Yes, those things 'might not' happen. It doesn't mean that they won't. You could still become a doctor. James could still get famous. I could still play hockey, and Litos could still do whatever the hell he wants to do." He grinned as Logan cracked a small smile._

 _"We've known our entire lives that we were witches." Carlos pointed out. "Today we learned just how powerful we could be. Melinda's prophecy said that we would become the greatest good witches ever. It didn't necessarily say how we do it. So why can't we do it our way?"_

 _"I just want to be normal." Logan whispered._

 _Carlos grinned his goofy grin. "Who would want to be normal when we can be special? Normal's boring."_

 _"Yeah, well, I'd say our lives aren't ever going to be boring." Kendall pointed out. "Don't stress yourself over what hasn't happened yet, Loges." He smirked. "That's James' job." Logan snorted._

 _"What's my job?" James asked cluelessly, poking his head out of his and Kendall's shared bedroom. The three on the sofa cracked up in laughter._

 _End Flashback._

"Spell?" Kendall called.

"Check!" James replied, hurrying down the stairs with a folded paper in his hand. "Potion?"

"Check!" Carlos exclaimed, holding up a green vial and running in from the kitchen. "Pointy hurtful object?"

Logan walked in from the sun room and smirked deviously, an iron crowbar in his hands. "Check." He agreed.

"Good choice." James approved.

"Why thank you." Logan replied with a grin. "I am _so_ going to enjoy this." He purred. Kendall snickered, just as the front door blasted open and the warlock waltzed in.

"Hello, boys." He sneered. "Ready for me?"

"Only if you are." James retorted.

"Oh, I love the smell of defeated witch in the evening." The Warlock purred.

"Can we just get this over with now?" Carlos interjected harshly.

"How rude." The Warlock chided. "When you have coffee it's alright, but when I want to exchange pleasantries its' not. Where are your manners?"

"With the woman you murdered." Logan snapped.

"And whose fault was that?" The warlock shot back.

 _He's kidding, right?_ Logan shook his head and prepared to throw the crowbar. "Hold on." The Warlock commanded. "Do you really think I'm stupid?"

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Kendall retorted patronizingly.

"You have something up your sleeve." The Warlock informed them. "You do realize that the moment you kill me, I'll be back to mangle your handsome little selves."

"Do you want us to kill you or not?" Logan interjected impatiently.

The Warlock smirked, and raised his arms. "Be my guest." He invited.

Logan, using his telekinesis to steer-like he had that good of an arm-, threw the crowbar at the warlock and lodged it in the center of his chest, into his heart. "Kendall, now!" James yelled. Kendall flicked his hand at the warlock, transforming him for the umpteenth time into a statue. Carlos threw the potion at him just as James unfolded the paper, and all four began to chant:

" _Nine times this evil's cheated death,_

 _Felt no pain and kept its breath,_

 _This warlock standing in our midst,_

 _Let him feel what he has missed_."

The reaction was instantaneous. The warlock un-statued and eight other silhouettes rose from the floor, flying around the warlock, who began to scream. "No! Noo!" He shrieked as the silhouettes entered his body, and the warlock began to glow before exploding with a flash of bright flames.

"M-kay, was that for good this time?" James demanded.

"If it's not, he's going to be missing his finger, cause it's over there on the floor." Carlos pointed out. Each of the boys shuddered. "Nine times the charm. That was totally different, he's gone."

"And yet we're all still here. Still together." Kendall muttered.

Logan glanced at him. His chocolate eyes were sad. "Not for long."

"So, is there anything special you wanna do?" James asked him. "Your choice."

"I could make dinner." Carlos offered. "And you could call Jo. Last night in the manor party."

"Sure. I guess." Kendall shrugged. "Why don't you guys get started on that? I'll be there in a second." Catching the hint, Logan, James, and Carlos nodded and left the oldest alone in the foyer, who sighed and wandered over to the boxes that were still stacked against the staircase. He pulled out a silver picture frame. Inside was the photo that Brooke had insisted on taking the day that the boys moved into the Palm Woods three years ago. Kendall stood in the middle, his arms slung around Logan and James' shoulders while Carlos squatted down in front and pointed back to them, each with large smiles on their faces. It was just a couple hours before they were told the Warren prophecy.

Kendall put the picture down and sighed.

BTC

Kendall walked outside the next morning to the driveway, where Jo was stuffing the last of the boxes into the back of the van. She frowned at him. "You okay?"

"I'm not that obvious!" Kendall protested, and paused. "Wait, am I?" Jo just smirked at him and sat down on the tailgate, patting the space next to her. "Jo, I…" He began uncertainly.

"You're not ready to move away from your brothers." She finished with a warm smile.

"So I am that obvious." Kendall decided. "I don't know, it's just that…We've never lived that far apart before. And I know that this has to happen eventually, it's just…"

"You don't want to do it today." Jo finished again. Kendall nodded slowly.

"What if we're too far away and they need me?" Kendall asked what he was secretly fearing. "What if some demon busts in and I can't get to them in time? Logan was right, this is not only where we're the strongest, we're the most protected here, because we're all here together. I don't want to be the reason that my brothers get hurt." Kendall uneasily peeked at his wife. "You hate me?"

Jo smirked. "Not if we can hire movers to move everything back in." She snarked. Kendall snorted and kissed her.

BTC

"Hey! Hey!" Logan bellowed at Kendall from the living room sofa, Carlos and James squeezed in on either side of him.

"Yeah?" Kendall raised a bushy eyebrow.

"We're calling a family meeting! Get your ass in here!" James commanded teasingly. Kendall rolled his eyes but flopped onto the nearest armchair. "Okay, look, we are more than excited that you and Jo decided to move back in…"

"But now we kinda need you to move back out." Logan confessed with a wince.

"What?! But you-!" Kendall sputtered.

"And into _my_ room." Logan interrupted with a large smile. "I need your out of your room and in mine. Mine's double the size and now that you're double the people-hey!" Logan grunted as Kendall tackled him into a hug. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He patted Kendall's back awkwardly.

"Hey, where's the love for the brother that's giving you your own bathroom?" James demanded with a grin. "I'm moving my stuff out and into Logan's bathroom."

"You said you were going to Carlos's bathroom!" Logan protested.

"But yours is bigger." James retorted. "So, we're sharing. That way it's just like having your own place-,"

"Except your brothers are right down the hall if you need us." Carlos finished with a smile.

"You guys are awesome." Kendall beamed.

"And we know and understand that we can't all live together forever," Logan began.

"But it's nice that forever isn't today." Kendall finished, pulling all his brothers into a hug.

 _And so, the magical journey continues…_

 **So, you are looking at the new adopter and writer for Big Time Charmed! Aahh! I'm so excited, you guys have like** ** _no_** **idea! Don't worry, I have Magiccatprincess's express permission and she is very much a part of the writing and planning process and will continue to be.**

 **So, let's get started, shall we?**


	2. Sin City

_James' POV:_

"What are we chasing down again?" I demanded as Logan and I hopped out of the BTR-Mobile and onto the sidewalk.

"I told you; it's some evil thing." Logan replied.

"And why did I let you talk me into this?" I groaned as we started down the street, Logan checking the map he brought with him. "I have a delinquent ethics paper to not-write."

Logan shot me a look. "You said you had it finished!"

"I have the _header_ finished. The paper itself, not so much." I replied with a shrug.

"James, you're a couple months away from graduating. You can't afford to procrastinate!" Logan scolded.

"Don't worry, I'll finish the paper." I reassured him. "I may not like homework but I'm not stupid. Makes me feel bad for you and Kendall. You still have what? Eight more years?"

"Six." Logan corrected me. "And Kendall only has five. Unlike doctors, vets only need three years of med school."

"All the more reason that we shouldn't be out here chasing a wild goose." I pointed out.

"Wild demon, alright?" Logan corrected me again. I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I was scrying for unnatural activity this morning and this place came up like a blaring siren."

"Hold up!" I cried, gaping at him. "Are you actually telling me that _you_ , Mr _. I-Just-Want-to-Be-Normal_ , were actually looking for trouble?!"

 _End James' POV:_

Logan shrugged. "I had the time. I finished all my papers and projects yesterday, so I figured why not kick some demon ass before class today?"

"What about that hospital internship you were going for a few days ago?" James demanded, his eyebrows raised.

Logan's face twisted into a scowl. "I lost it." He grumbled, glaring at the cement ground beneath their feet. "My GPA is freaking perfect but they go for the guy with the perfect attendance record! Unbelievable! I can't help that I miss some classes because demons can't go bother some other witch in town!" James' hazel eyes flicked around, but was relieved that no one had taken note to Logan's exclamation.

"So, you figured that you'd go to the demons instead of them coming to you?" James finished.

"Well, yeah, why not? We learned from Astral Carlos that we need to have a balance. So, I finished my schoolwork yesterday and today I'm helping innocents. Can't get more balanced than that." Logan shrugged.

"Just your everyday Dean Winchester." James snickered.

"Well, you guys don't really need me anymore, so…?" Logan shrugged helplessly.

"You really think that? That we don't need you?" James' face softened.

"Well, kinda, yeah." Logan shrugged again. "Kendall's married now, and you have Muffy and are about to graduate, and Carlos is off looking for a job today. You're all going on with your lives."

"Logan, this is a _good_ _thing_." James informed him reassuringly. "And what about you and Camille? Aren't things going really well with you guys lately?"

"Not so much. She broke up with me again two days ago." Logan sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"What? Really?" James blinked in surprise as his older brother nodded. "What for this time?"

"She says I'm not 'supportive enough' of her." Logan answered. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He cried. "I support her just fine! I mean, I helped her run lines for that audition a few days ago! I _drove_ her to that audition!"

"Women." James snorted. Logan nodded in agreement, and he glanced down at his map, then peered over James' shoulder with a frown.

"I think that's it." Logan informed James lowly, pointing out a dumpster up against the alley wall a few feet away. "Ready?" He asked. James nodded. "On my count. One, two…" He flung his arm, using his telekinesis to throw the lid off the dumpster to expose the contents.

"Oh, my god!" James yelped. His eyes were sparkling with amusement. "It's _Trashio_! The demon of hording a witch's garbage!" Logan scowled and shoved him lightly. James snickered. "See? It _was_ a wild goose." He pointed out smugly as they left the alley.

"Oh, shut it." Logan retorted. "Hey, while we're on the subject, how is Muffy? Haven't really seen her around." _Not that I'm complaining_. He added silently.

"Still avoiding demonic bounty hunters." James sighed. "She only has enough time to shimmer into the bedroom every now and again."

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to stop you there." Logan made a face. "Really don't want to hear about you and your demon girlfriend's _activities_."

"Fair enough." James hummed. "But, if I can say,"

"Don't!" Logan begged.

"The _activities_ are really, really great." James snickered as Logan shuddered and gagged. "Seriously, when are you going to accept Muffy?"

"I _have_ accepted her." Logan corrected him. "Doesn't mean I have to _like_ her. And if she hurts you or the others in any way I'll be the first to shove that vanquishing potion up her ass." James nodded. That's the best he could ask of Logan, he supposed.

Their attention was drawn away from James' demonic outlaw girlfriend and to an alley across the street, where yelling could be heard and small explosions could be seen. "Ask and ye shall receive." James muttered as he and Logan raced across the road and into the alley, where two men were wrestling for a crystalline box, one in a suit and tie and the other in a sleeveless t-shirt and ripped jeans. And judging by the energy balls forming and exploding against the suit's chest, the man in the gangly outfit was the demon. "I gotta have more!" The man in the suit yelled, his eyes and face desperate. "Don't you understand? I _need_ more!"

"I told you, what you need isn't in this box!" The demon snarled, firing another energy ball at the man in the suit, who flew back into the dumpster. "Hard being greedy, isn't it?" He added with a smirk.

"Hey!" Logan roared, flinging his arm and tossing the demon into the alley wall, the crystal white box landing in the middle of the alley. The businessman sat up, his eyes falling on the box.

"The box!" He gasped, he and the demon both lunging for it. Logan panicked and used his telekinesis to send the box skidding into the street. James kicked the demon back away from the innocent.

"The box belongs to Lukas!" The demon snarled at the boys.

"Well, tell Lukas that it's been re-," James began to retort, but the demon scowled at him and faded in a form of smoke. "-Possessed." He finished lamely.

Logan knelt beside the businessman, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe now." The smart witch reassured him.

"I gotta have more." The businessman mumbled. His eyes locked back on the box. "Don't you understand? I gotta have more!" He yelled, and bolted into the street, bending over to pick up the box.

" _No_!" Logan screamed, racing after him.

" _Logan, stop!_ " James roared, grabbing him just in time to avoid getting hit by an oncoming bus.

The same couldn't be said for the businessman.

BTC

Police cars lined up and down the street, and yellow tape separated the scene of the accident from the rest of the street. Logan stood only a foot away from the covered body of the businessman, finished with his line of questioning as James was just starting his own a few feet away. _How could I fling that thing into the street?_ Logan berated himself, raking a hand through his black hair. _Why didn't I just grab it? That's what Kendall would've done, and now I'm gonna hear it because I couldn't rescue a single innocent from a stupid bus. An innocent is dead because-_ "Hey." Logan jumped a foot in the air from fright as Darryl walked up to him. "How are you?" The inspector asked the witch gently.

Logan wasn't in the mood. "What did you find out?" He asked, his voice rough.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Darryl shrugged. "Sadly enough, but we get these suicides all the time."

Logan was already shaking his head. "No, no, Darryl, this was no suicide." Logan protested. "He was driven into the street, demonically driven."

"And you want me to put that in my case report?" Darryl replied with a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, victim's name was Robert Pike. Married with two children. Worked as a stockbroker for a high-end company not too far from here. Very successful."

"The demon accused him of being greedy." Logan informed him. "There could be a connection there somewhere."

"Doubtful." Darryl shook his head. "From all accounts, Mr. Pike was no typical stockbroker, more of a philanthropist. Just last night he held a charity ball for the American Cancer Society."

"Something must've changed fast then, because when we saw him all he cared about was a box." Logan replied.

Darryl frowned. "What box?"

"This one." Logan opened his book bag and showed Darryl the crystalline box that he had stuffed inside before the cops could confiscate it.

"What's inside?" Darryl asked.

"Don't know, but whatever it is, it's worth dying for." Logan replied with a helpless shrug.

A few feet away, James finishing up his own interview with a pretty officer with bright red hair and a badge that named her as Officer Ariana Valentine. "So, in your opinion, was there anything the driver could have done to avoid him?" Officer Valentine asked.

James shook his head. "No, not at all. It was too fast; there was no time to react."

Officer Valentine nodded. "Okay, I think that does it. If I can just get your home phone number…"

"It's the same as his." James gestured to Logan. "We live together."

"Really?" Valentine asked. James nodded. "So, what would you say if one of my questions was, 'Would you like to get dinner?'"

James blinked, then let out a startled chuckle. "Uh, I would have to ask that those numbers stayed in your report." He replied. "I'm seeing someone." He explained.

"I'm not surprised. She's very lucky." Valentine replied with a smile. James grinned. "But, can I ask you for a small favor?" She asked. James quirked an eyebrow. "Could I ask you for an autograph? It's for my little sister; she loves Big Time Rush. And she'll kill me if I let you get away without getting her one."

"Sure, no problem." James agreed, quickly signing the officer's pad and handing it back to her. Officer Valentine thanked him and he walked toward Logan just as Darryl called at her. "You okay?" He asked his brother.

"I-I don't know, I can't stop thinking about what we could've done to save him." Logan admitted.

"There wasn't anything we could do, Logan." James replied softly. "Not without knowing who and what did this to him."

"Lukas." Logan nodded. "We have to find out what's so special about this box before someone else runs in front of oncoming traffic."

BTC

"Do you have any idea how important that box is?!" A demon with spiked black hair and a leather jacket roared, holding up the lesser demon working for him by the throat.

"I thought you were working on controlling your anger, Lukas." The lesser demon gasped out.

"I _am_ controlling my anger!" Lukas hissed, tossing him against the wall of the abandoned warehouse that they were currently using as a base of operations.

The lesser demon fished in his jeans' pocket and pulled out a glowing crystal, holding it out for Lukas to take. "At least we got the businessman's soul." He offered.

"Yes," Lukas snatched the soul from him. "But I need to deliver _seven_ souls for _seven_ sins!" He pointed out angrily, walking over to a table where was a circular display with seven placements sat, and slid the soul of the businessman into one of them.

"Can't you just locate the box?" The lesser demon asked.

"Yes, but I have to find a way to get around the witches first." Lukas groaned. "Thanks to you generously gifting the box to them. You know," Lukas began with a humorless chuckle. "My own self-destruction was supposed to bring me peace from since. Now, here I am! The one that infects with sin!"

"Have to know the product to move it, right?" the lesser demon pointed out encouragingly.

Lukas scowled at him. "I know the product. I know how sin twists human desire." He paused. "Which might be the way to get to the witches. Witches have human desires, too, right? Sure, why not?" Lukas cackled, then turned back to the lesser demon. "There's just one thing I can't figure out. Why do I need you?" The lesser demon's eyes widened, and Lukas shot a stream of red-hot beams at him. The lesser demon screamed and exploded into nothing. Lukas exhaled sharply. "That felt good. Needed to vent."

BTC

Logan and James walked back into the manor and James let out a yelp as something whirring flew over their heads. "Hey! Watch the hair!" James cried as Carlos came running in from the living room with excited brown eyes and a remote control in his hands. The remote control that was currently powered on and directing the white drone equipped with a camera and helicopter blades landed on the table.

Logan shot his baby brother an incredulous look. "Don't tell me you bought that." He demanded. Carlos hesitated. "Carlos!" Logan cried in exasperation. "You were supposed to be job-hunting, not toy shopping!"

"It is _not_ a toy." Carlos defended himself. " _It_ is the Night Watcher 3000, okay? Best drone surveillance system on the market. And I _did_ go job hunting, okay? I put in three applications for three different restaurants."

"Carlos, that's a toy. And a very expensive one, how are we supposed to afford that thing when we have bills to pay and no way to pay them?" Logan argued, gesturing to the toy on the table. "Not to mention the three new videogames that you brought home with you yesterday, you're wasting our money!"

"You're just upset that Camille broke up with you again." Carlos stuck his tongue out at him.

"No, I'm upset that I'm the only one thinking responsibly around here!" Logan snapped. "Or do you want to have fun with your new toys and games with no house to play them in or any food to snack on when you do?" Logan rolled his eyes. "We don't have time for this. We had a demon kill an innocent this morning."

" _What_?" Carlos demanded with wide eyes.

"Yeah, and it was all about this box." Logan pulled the crystalline box out of his bookbag and examined it closely. "Our innocent was obsessed with this thing, though I'm not sure what's-,"

"Hey, hey, don't open it!" James exclaimed in alarm. "Let's go get Kendall first."

"Why?" Logan was annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know, Loges, so you don't get run over by a bus, too?" James sarcastically replied.

"I'm sure you and Carlos will keep me out of the street just fine." Logan rolled his eyes.

"No, we should get Kendall. We might need the Power of Four for this." Carlos interjected, and nodded to the ceiling. "He's in the attic." James nodded and ran up the stairs, leaving Logan to snatch the control to the drone away from Carlos when their little brother started it up again. Carlos stuck his tongue out at him.

James coughed as he jogged into the attic. "What's with all the smoke?" He rasped, waving his hand around. Kendall sat at the table with their wok pot in front of him, the Book of Shadows open next to it.

"It's Grams' stun potion, I thought I'd give it a try." Kendall explained with a furrowed brow. "I think I improved it, actually."

"Kendall, that's the third potion test today. And last night you were up here studying the Book like you were preparing for a pop quiz." James pointed out.

Kendall shrugged. "What's wrong with that? Logan did it. That's how he figured out his Astral Projection was an ability, not an actual power."

"Logan did it because there was nothing better for him to do at the time. If I remember correctly that was when you and Jo took your little vacation up top." James reminded him.

"If it was a vacation, it was the world's worst. I still can't remember anything save for the Elders telling us that we couldn't be together." Kendall scowled. "Still, there's nothing wrong with brushing up on some of my witchcraft. I don't want to give them anymore reason to tell us that all over again."

"No, Kendall, they can't do that." James shook his head. "You guys are married now."

"Yeah, but there was nothing in that ceremony that says they can't ship her off again. Their concern was I wouldn't be able to do my job, that was the condition. And I'm going to show them just how well that I can while being married to their top whitelighter. None of those Elders will find any fault in _my_ abilities. Not that they could, anyway." Kendall snorted.

"Yeah, well, they might find fault in us." James sighed. "Logan and I lost an innocent this morning."

"What?" Kendall leapt to his feet.

"Yeah, so come on, Wonder Witch." James nodded towards the door. "We need you." The pair came down the final flight of stairs in time to see Logan sit on the couch, the lid of the box in his hand. "Hey! What are you doing?" James cried, he and Kendall rushing into the living room.

"Um, opening the box?" Logan replied in a 'duh' tone.

James snatched it from him. "You were supposed to wait for me and Kendall!" He scolded him.

"Okay, so you brought Wonder Witch. Let's open it." Logan reached for the box again.

"Uh, no. What if we unleash some horrible creature?" James argued.

"We've faced and dealt with horrible creatures. One of them your girlfriend." Logan snipped back. James decided to ignore that.

"Well, maybe we should call my wife. You know, see what she thinks." Kendall suggested.

"Fine, but I will say this, we never needed to see what she thought before when she was just _Jo_." Logan retorted with a roll of his eyes. James frowned. There was something in his voice that he couldn't place…

The half-cupid wasn't given time to mull it over as a flurry of blue and white orbs materialized in front of the sofa. "You called?" Jo asked, smiling in greeting at Kendall.

"Nope." Logan popped the p.

"But, since you're here," Carlos motioned to the box. "James and Logan swiped that from a demon earlier. Open it, yes or no?"

Jo frowned. "Did you check the Book?"

"No, no we did not, but that is a really good idea. Come on, guys." Kendall motioned for his brothers to follow him. Only James noticed Logan's slight scowl. Something about this picture didn't add up, and it wasn't the demon box. "Oh, uh, James, your Ethics professor called a while ago." Kendall informed the brunet. "Something about a late paper?"

"Shit!" James cursed under his breath. "I'll have to take an incomplete."

"No." Logan protested. "Like I said, you're too close to graduating. Just go explain to your professor that you'll have it done tomorrow. Have her give you a late grade if she must but _do_ _not_ let her give you an incomplete."

"You sure?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely." Kendall agreed before Logan could. "The four of us will be fine."

"Okay. I just need to grab my bookbag. I can stop by the library on the way back." James shrugged. The five of them raced up the stairs, four to the attic and one to his bedroom. It wouldn't hurt to get his lucky comb in his pocket either…

In the attic, Kendall had placed the Book back on the standard and he, Carlos, Logan, and Jo were peering at a page titled _The Seven Deadly Sins_. "So, what, it's a box of sins?" Kendall asked with a furrowed brow.

"'Bottled at the source, by the Source.'" Carlos read in agreement. "Good thing you didn't open it, Logan. Coulda been Pandora all over again."

"So, I was wrong. Big whoop." Logan muttered. _What, Kendall's not?_ He thought sourly to himself.

"Not quite, though it is possible this is where the myth came from." Jo replied. "According to this, the box contains seven balls of pure sin used to corrupt paragons of good."

"If you're a paragon of good, how are you corrupted?" Carlos asked in confusion.

"Because nobody's immune to sin." Logan explained.

"Right. Whether it's Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Anger, or Sloth. Whichever you're pre-disposed to is the one that attacks you." Jo nodded.

"The businessman had to have been attacked by Greed." Logan mused. "Explains why he wanted more."

"Only, his greed was magnified by a thousand." Jo confirmed.

"And it explains why the scrying for unnatural activity worked. At first I thought it was the demon courier, but it was actually the sin working against the businessman's good nature." Logan continued.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Carlos demanded.

"The Book says that the sins are distributed by infectors. Humans that were consumed by their sin and turned into demons. If I had a guess I'd say it was the owner of the box, that Lukas you mentioned." Kendall explained with a frown. "So, if we vanquish Lukas…"

"The sins lose their power." Jo finished.

Kendall grinned. "We make such a good team."

"I'm about to make lunch." Logan mumbled sourly. "So, we find a spell that removes sin from an infected human, and we're good?"

"You can't remove sin magically or otherwise." Kendall disagreed. "It's a part of all of us."

Logan glared pointedly at him. "Even _you_ , Superwitch?"

Kendall glared back. "Yes, even me. Just a little bit."

BTC

A figure of smoke materialized in front of the sofa, and Lukas smirked as he picked up the box. "Okay, guys, I'm leaving!" James called as he ran down the stairs, but stopping short once he spotted Lukas. "Wha-Hey!" He yelled.

"No, it's alright. I think you'll like _this one_!" Lukas mused, and James had no time to duck away from the white orb that was fired at him. He stumbled backward into the wall, winded as his entire body flashed bright pink.

"James?" Kendall, Jo, Carlos, and Logan came running down the stairs, but stopped, nearly falling as they too were struck by white orbs by Lukas, their own bodies flashing purple, blue, orange, and dark green respectively. Lukas grinned and disappeared into a plume of white smoke.

"What. The hell. Was that?!" James panted, just barely getting his breath back.

"Don't tell me we just got infected by those sin things!" Carlos complained.

"No one panic!" Kendall commanded. "Does anybody feel different?" Logan, Jo, Carlos, and James all shook their heads. "So, we weren't infected because we're magical?"

"I'll orb up and ask." Jo replied.

"Good thinking. Carlos, Logan, and I will double check the Book, and _you_ ," Kendall whirled on James. "You have to go talk to that professor, drop the James Diamond charm on her." James opened his mouth to protest, but Kendall shoved him towards the door. "Yes, I'm sure! Go!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" James yelped, grabbing the keys to the BTR-Mobile off the table.

BTC

"The problem is, it's an _Ethics_ course." James' professor, a middle-aged woman with silver in her brown hair, informed the pretty witch, who was seated in one of her office chairs. "So, when someone like you misses so many classes and can't turn in a major paper on time…" She trailed off as James rubbed his forehead. "Are you okay?"

James glanced at her. "I'm not sure." He admitted. He was beginning to feel…weird.

The professor sighed. "Even if I take it late, the grade will hurt your final GPA. Which, in turn, majorly hurts your chances of graduating with your classmates." James bit his lip.

"What can I do?" James asked.

"Turn in the paper to me first thing tomorrow morning, Mr. Diamond." The professor decided. "And start attending more of my classes. If you don't, I'll have no choice but to fail you entirely. Do you understand?"

James smirked deviously at her. "I'm not wearing any underwear." He purred.

His professor blinked in shock. Of all the responses she'd expected from him, this one wasn't it. "Excuse me?" She demanded.

"Yeah, it's too constricting for me." James nodded seriously, wriggling in his chair and fixing her with a heavy look.

"Do you think this is some kind of a joke, Mr. Diamond?" She demanded, her voice shrill. "Do you understand the severity of your situation right now?"

"Oh, I do." James agreed, standing from the chair and approaching her much like a predator to prey. "Believe me, I do. And I will do anything, anything at all, that you ask of me to in order to pass." The professor screeched as James grabbed the front of her blazer and pulled, sending them both to the floor.

BTC

"Okay, so-hey!" Kendall yelped, ducking as a small helicopter flew over his head as he walked into the kitchen.

"Watch it! I just got that!" Carlos complained from his seat at the table. Kendall's emerald eyes widened. His baby brother was surrounded by magazines showing pictures of toys and gadgets. Carlos grinned. "Cool, huh?" He asked, popping a Dorito into his mouth and flying the copter around the kitchen via the controls in his hands.

" _Expensive_ if you ask me. I know you like your toys, but _really_?" Kendall demanded. "You know we're on a limited budget right now!"

"Right, but I thought that we could use a little bit of indulgence for all the hard work we do." Carlos defended himself. "Want to try?" He asked, offering the controls to Kendall with a grin.

"No, what I want is some _help_." Kendall snapped. "Logan's lost his ever-loving mind, and all you can think about is what new toy is fresh off the market. Did either of you forget that we're supposed to be tracking down Lukas?"

"Okay, okay." Carlos raised his hands in surrender, and landed the helicopter on the counter. "Catch me up. What did you and Logan find?"

"More like what did _I_ find. Logan wasn't that big of any help but we did figure out that those sin balls work a whole lot faster than we originally thought. Once infected, the victim only has a few hours until they're driven to total self-destruction." Kendall told him.

"Huh. Good thing we weren't infected." Carlos replied, picking up another magazine and flipping through it.

"Yeah, but that leaves to wonder who will be? I tried doing like Logan did this morning, scrying for unnatural activity, but it kept pointing back to the manor." Kendall informed him with a frown.

"Go figure." Carlos hummed distractedly. "You said something was wrong with Logan?"

"Yeah, he's complaining about that internship at the hospital." Kendall answered. "Practically whining."

"Why's he complaining about it? That's all he would talk about for the last week." Carlos pointed out.

"Well, apparently, he lost it to a guy with better attendance than him." Kendall shrugged just as Logan stormed into the kitchen from the other direction.

"Unbelievable!" Logan shouted in aggravation. "It's like the universe hates me! I can do just as well as he can!" The smart witch whined. Kendall raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Carlos demanded.

"That asshole that stole my internship! He keeps freaking bragging about it! No one freaking cares, get a damn life!" Logan exclaimed, waving his arms and his voice high with jealousy. "That was _my_ internship to begin with, that ass! My GPA is damn _perfect_ , all because some wiccan shit makes my attendance less than that-!"

He was cut off by James racing into the kitchen, perfectly pale and positively horrified. "You're never going to believe this! My Ethics professor kicked me out of class!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Kendall demanded. "Why?!"

"I don't know, I don't know how it happened!" James cried. "One second, we were talking about how to improve my GPA to graduate on time, and the next thing I knew I was-," James blanched and dropped his head into his hands with a moan.

"You were what?" Carlos asked, stuffing his mouth full of Doritos. Kendall furrowed his brow.

James swallowed. "Unbuttoning her jeans with my teeth." He confessed, gagging at the memory. Carlos nearly spat out the Coke and Logan blanched. Kendall dropped his head into his hands.

"Oh, god, James, you do realize that 'drop the James Diamond charm' was a _figure_ of _speech_ , don't you?" Kendall whined.

"I don't know what got into me, I swear!" James wailed. "I'm just glad I realized before I…" James shuddered. "Eew! Eww! _Ewww_!"

Kendall paused. "Um, I think I do. Know what got into you, that is." The blonde said slowly. "The sin of Lust."

Carlos swallowed. "Hey, I thought you said we weren't infected!" He objected.

"Oh, so you trust Kendall with everything now?" Logan snorted.

"Hello, _Gluttony_ , table for one?" Kendall snapped, picking up and waving the bag of Doritos in Carlos's face. James blinked in shock as Kendall hooked his thumb over his shoulder at Logan. " _Envy_ , I want that table!" Logan slapped his hand over his mouth with a horrified expression. "Jo!" He called loudly.

"Uh-uh. Jo's not up there." Logan informed him. "She's in the living room reading a magazine." James, Kendall, and Carlos all shared a look before tearing out of the kitchen. "Oh, and you never feel the need to run like that for me?" Logan complained. His eyes widened and he swore loudly. " _Damn_ it!" He whined, running after them. They found Jo exactly where Logan had said she was, on the sofa with her feet propped up on the table and her eyes trained on a magazine.

"Jo?" Kendall demanded incredulously.

"Oh, hey babe." Jo hummed distractedly. "Did you hear that Taylor Swift is dating Harry Styles again? How long do you think it'll last this time?"

"Doesn't matter, what does matter is that raging demon with the box of sins." Kendall retorted. "What did the Elders say?"

Jo shrugged. "Don't know."

Kendall blinked. "What do you mean 'You don't know'? What did you do, orb up and then back down and forget to ask?"

"I made it halfway and got tired." Jo shrugged. "You know, after over sixty years of vigilance, I think I deserve a little down time, okay? Get off my ass."

"Real catch there, Kendall. I would've done so much better." Logan informed his older brother.

"Oh, god." Kendall groaned. "I've been surrounded by sin. You're _all_ infected. Envy," He pointed at Logan. "Gluttony." Carlos. "Lust." James. "And Sloth." Jo. "Now it's gonna be up to me to fix all of you."

"Okay, but what did you get hit with?" James demanded with a raised eyebrow. Jo, apparently bored with her magazine, tossed it onto the couch cushion next to her and reached for the remote, turning on the flat screen.

"I wasn't hit." Kendall replied.

"Yeah, right. I saw you." Logan retorted.

"Well, apparently, I'm the only one strong enough to fight it off." Kendall shrugged.

"Oh, so you're saying I'm the weak link now?" Logan snapped angrily.

"I didn't-oh good god." Kendall groaned.

"I don't understand how I got Gluttony. I don't over eat." Carlos stated with a confused frown.

"No, but your indulgence has been on the high side lately. Namely in wasting money on useless toys." Kendall informed him with a roll of his eyes. "The sins are determined by predisposition, remember?"

"I'll get it!" James cried as the home phone rang, racing to pick it up before Logan could.

Logan glowered at James' back. "I wanted to do that." He grumbled. Kendall wanted to _gag_ as James dropped his voice into the lower timber, his so-called 'sexy' voice, as he spoke into the phone.

"Who was it?" Kendall asked as soon as James put the phone back on the receiver.

"That hot officer from the businessman's bus scene." James purred happily. "She has some more questions for me. See ya, suckers."

"No!" Kendall yelped, grabbing James' arm just as the brunet swiped the keys to the car. "No, no. You're infected, you can't leave the house until we find a way to vanquish Lukas!"

"But I was called into the station. She said it was _urgent_." James grinned excitedly. "I can't ignore a call like that. You would prefer the police come here?"

Kendall growled. "Oh, _fine_!" He snapped in exasperation. "But I'm coming with you to keep you out of trouble!"

"I'm coming, too!" Logan cried, grabbing his jacket.

"Why?" Kendall demanded. "It's just a ride to the station."

Logan glowered at him. "So, it's fair that you get to go with James and I don't?"

"I don't care if it's fair or not. Do you honestly think that I am going to take Mr. _Envious_ to a police station where he could get mad if they don't let him try out their weaponry? Too much chance of self-destruction. You're staying here." Kendall retorted. Logan pouted and dropped into the armchair, sulking like a petulant child. "Now come on." He grabbed James by the arm and led him out the door to the car. Logan grinned at Jo's 'hey!' when he used his telekinesis to swipe the remote and change the soap opera she had been watching to a documentary.

BTC

Kendall and James' eyes widened at the scene at the LAPD's office, which was surrounded by SWAT with helicopters flying overhead and a news team on the scene. "Darryl! Darryl!" Kendall yelled, spotting the inspector standing next to the barricade and dragging James over.

"It's okay. It's okay. They're both with me." Darryl appeased the two officers standing next to him as Kendall and James approached. "What are you two doing here?" He demanded.

"I got called in." James informed him, sounding way too pleased about the subject.

"What's going on, Darryl?" Kendall demanded, surveying the scene closely.

"Suspect is a high-powered gang member. We took down most of his connections last week, guess that gave him enough of a bone to pick with the LAPD." Darryl explained. "He's in there now, holding four hostages at gunpoint."

"What's the plan?" Kendall asked.

"The plan is to talk him down a little until we can safely extract the hostages." Darryl informed him.

"Oh, yeah, that'll work." Kendall rolled his green eyes with a snort.

Darryl frowned at him. "It _has_ worked in many instances very similar to this one."

"I have something to say!" James announced, the inspector and his older brother turning their gazes on him. James grinned excitedly. "I see that hot officer from this morning!" He cried, waving at Officer Valentine who was working the barricade a few feet away. She grinned at him and waved back.

"Tone it down, James! There are lives at stake here!" Kendall barked.

"I agree." Darryl nodded. "And this isn't a witch-y situation so you don't have any pull here this time. So, we're going to follow routine. Talk him down and wait him out."

"Fine." Kendall reluctantly agreed. A glint appeared in his green eyes and he bolted for the station.

" _Kendall!_ " Darryl roared. " _Whoa, whoa! Hold your fire! Hold your fire!_ " He yelled, waving his badge around.

Kendall ran into the main lobby of the station and skidded to a stop. On their bellies on the floor were three innocents, two women and one man, and each looking terrified of the man standing over them, holding an assault rifle with the barrel pointed to another man's chest. "Who the hell are you?" The gang member snarled, his blue eyes cold and crazed.

Kendall passively put up his hands. "I'm Kendall Knight, and I'm here to help." He informed him. "There is an entire SWAT team outside ready to bust down these doors if you don't surrender now." Kendall barely flinched as the nose of the weapon was turned on him. "I am telling you now, your only chance of surviving this is if you do what I ask, okay? Just put the gun down and let these people go."

"And your only chance is if you do as these others and get down and do as I say!" The gunman hissed, spit flying from his mouth.

"You leave me no choice then." Kendall growled, flicking his hands at the gunman. "Stone." He commanded.

But nothing happened. "That's it!" The gang member hissed, tightening his finger around the trigger. Kendall blanched and dove out of the way.

Outside, everyone ducked as multiple gunshots went off, and Darryl grabbed the megaphone from the hostage negotiator. "Kendall?" Darryl demanded. "Are you alright? Talk to me, Kendall!"

There was nothing but silence for many tense moments, and then the doors opened. "Don't shoot! I got it!" Kendall shouted, helping an injured woman walk down the steps with a proud gleam in his eyes as the other three hostages followed him down. "Everything's under control here!" Kendall beamed as the pedestrians began to clap and cheer and informed a SWAT member. "You might want to take a medical team inside. Gang member's on the floor, handcuffed to a desk. He needs attention, I whipped his ass!" Kendall handed the woman off to a paramedic and didn't turn away from the newscasters that swarmed him.

"Who are you?" One of them asked.

"Name's Kendall, Kendall Knight." Kendall proudly proclaimed.

"What made you charge in there?" Another asked.

"Well, it is my job to protect the inn-," Kendall began before he was yanked away. "Hey!"

"Good Samaritan, very good Samaritan. No more questions!" Darryl informed them with a phony smile before pulling the blonde away.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Kendall demanded incredulously. "I was just getting started!"

"What on earth is the matter with you? The press will destroy you, Kendall!" Darryl reminded him. "They'll hang you alive and you'll take your brothers down with you!"

Kendall glowered at him. " _Nothing_ can destroy me, Darryl." Kendall informed him matter-of-factly. Darryl rolled his eyes and paused, his gaze latching onto Kendall's side.

"Kendall, are you bleeding?" He demanded worriedly.

Kendall blinked and looked down. "Oh!" The blonde witch gaped, staring down at his bloodied side, his t-shirt soaked red. "I am. Oh, wow. Huh, one of those bullets must have grazed me."

"And you didn't even feel it?" Darryl demanded.

"No, I mean, adrenaline rush, right?" Kendall shrugged. "No big thing?"

"Kendall, this _is_ a big thing." Darryl pointed out. "You nearly got yourself killed." Kendall froze. "I've never seen you run from danger before but I never once saw you run toward it either. Do you have a death wish?"

"I-," Kendall swallowed thickly. "Does sound kind of self-destructive, doesn't it?" He whispered.

"That's one word for it." Darryl agreed.

"Oh, no. Oh, man! Damn it!" Kendall groaned. "I've been infected. Oh, _shit_. That must be why my powers aren't working."

"Kendall, what's going on?" Darryl demanded. He was worried for the blonde witch.

"I don't have time to explain, Darryl. I have to get home." Kendall replied distractedly. "Where is my brother? James!"

James was busy having his own sinful fun, his lips latched onto Officer Valentine's inside the LAPD van with his shirt open and his hands tracing her curves. Ariana whined slightly when James pulled away, but smiled dazedly at the wrapper in his hand. "Good thing I came prepared, huh?" He purred, just as the door was wrenched open and sunlight poured into the back of the van.

"Officer!" Darryl yelled.

"James!" Kendall shouted.

"I-I can explain-," Ariana stuttered.

"The hell you can!" Darryl hissed angrily, pulling her out of the van and Kendall grabbing onto his brother's arm and yanking him out.

"For the love of-have you lost your mind?!" Kendall hissed, buttoning up his brother's shirt for him to keep his hands away from James's neck.

"I think so." James nodded. "But if you're gonna lose it-,"

"Well, my sin isn't nearly as much fun as yours." Kendall growled.

James paused. "Your sin?" He echoed. "You said you weren't hit."

"Yeah, well, that was the _Pride_ talking, and it almost got me killed already!" Kendall informed James bitterly, throwing his brother's jacket at him.

"Pride?" James studied the blonde and smirked. "You don't seem so different."

"Back at you, little brother." Kendall retorted. James stuck his tongue out at him. "The goal now is to find Lukas and vanquish him before we all self-destruct. Now come on, we gotta get back to the manor."

"Nah." James shook his head. "You go on ahead. I'm having too much fun here, so I'll meet up with you later."

"And if I don't get you home, there won't _be_ a later." Kendall informed him, shoving him back down the sidewalk to their car.

Just a few feet away, Officer Valentine was trying to right her uniform as Darryl glared at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Darryl demanded harshly. "Not only in the middle of the _day_ , but in the middle of a _crisis_!"

"Hey, _he_ jumped _me_!" Ariana defended herself. "I didn't have that much of a choice!"

"That's a pathetic excuse." Darryl informed her coldly. "You're an _officer_ , for crying out loud!"

"What did you want me to do? Shoot him?" Ariana shot back.

"You're suspended." Darryl decided.

"What?!" Ariana cried.

"As soon as the station is cleared, turn in your hardware." Darryl commanded, storming away. _Has everyone gone nuts?!_ He thought to himself.

"You can't suspend me! I didn't do anything wrong!" Ariana screamed after him, and she kicked the tire of the van. " _Damnit_!"

"You do realize that anger is one of the seven deadly sins?" A male voice informed her, and she whirled around to find a man standing right behind her with a thick leather jacket, spiky black hair, and a crystalline box in his hands.

"And who the hell are you?" Ariana spat.

Lukas smirked and opened the box, firing a white orb at the suspended officer. She gasped, winded as a bright scarlet light flashed over her body. "I'm someone who can help you channel that anger."

BTC

"You know, it wouldn't have hurt to drive by the beach for a little peek." James informed Kendall bitterly as they walked up to the front door of the manor.

"Okay, just get inside this house!" Kendall opened the door and shoved him inside. "Oh, my god." Kendall and James gaped at what was once their spacious foyer, now so overloaded with brown packages of all shapes and sizes that the only way through was a narrow line. Their eyes bulged out of their heads at the ginormous flat screen in the corner of their _packed_ living room, which was now entertaining Jo with a dramatic soap opera.

"Hey! Good, you're back!" Carlos cried, running down the stairs. "Look, Logan has locked himself in his room with my new Wii U game system and _all_ the games to it, and he won't give it back!" Carlos whined.

Kendall groaned as Logan's voice shouted "Mine now!"

"Wow, Litos, you've really put the _glut_ in _Gluttony_." James mused, glancing around at the toys and gadgets that have made it out of the boxes.

"How the hell did you get all this so fast? We were only gone for thirty minutes!" Kendall exclaimed.

"Let's just say that my fingers did all the walking, talking, and flipping." Carlos replied with a small grin, picking up a remote control and a large toy monster truck engine whirred to life.

"Flipping as in the pages of the Book?" Kendall demanded, his green eyes wide with horror. "You used _magic_?!"

"Well, yeah, course." Carlos agreed with a shrug. "I couldn't wait for a long delivery, could I?"

James spotted Logan slinking down the stairs and snatching up a parcel from the base of stairs before running back up to his bedroom and slamming the door behind him. "That's personal gain!" Kendall cried. "And if you don't get a grip now we'll have to sell all this stuff in order to pay for your funerals!"

Carlos ignored him, laughing as his toy monster truck slammed into a stack of boxes. James strolled into the living room and smirked at Jo, reclined on the sofa with a bag of Cheetos, her brown eyes trained on the ginormous flat screen. "Hi Jo." He purred.

"Shh!" Jo commanded distractedly. "Johnathan's about to propose to Maria, but Ander is going to sabotage the proposal because he's in love with Maria, too!"

"You know, that sounds really exciting, but," James slid onto the sofa next to her, sitting proactively with a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Don't you think _I'm_ a little more exciting than that?"

"Shh!" Jo commanded again. James snatched the remote and turned off the TV, and Jo gasped. "Hey! What was that for?!" Jo complained, lunging for the remote. "Come on, give it back!" She whined, not caring that James was leaning back, keeping the remote out of her reach as she tried to scramble over him to get it.

"James, stop!" Kendall raced into the living room, his eyes betraying his anger.

"Why?" James asked. "You won't let me leave the house, remember?"

"That is _my_ _wife_ , remember?!" Kendall roared furiously. "And for two, sin of Lust?! Consumption then self-destruction?! Jo, you have to orb up there and find out something to help us track down Lukas! There is still the seventh sin to worry about here, so that means there's another innocent out there!"

"Nah." Jo shook her head. "You guys never listen to me anyway. I think I'll orb upstairs and take a nap." Blue and white bubbles formed around her and she disappeared.

"Fine! Whatever!" Kendall shouted at the ceiling. "We still have the Power of Four!" Kendall glanced at Carlos and James, who were trying out a new pair of boxing gloves and reading a Playboy respectively, the looked back at the stairwell, where Logan was sneaking back down to snag something else. Kendall groaned.

BTC

Ariana stormed over to her car and threw her duffel into the backseat. "Hi there." Lukas smirked, and made her jump.

"Don't do that!" She snarled angrily.

"Or what?" Lukas asked, raising his eyebrow. "You'll do what? Hit me? Kick me?" He reached inside her jacket and pulled out her .45. "Shoot me?" He asked, handing it to her. "Why don't you use that anger against the ones that did this to you?" Ariana's face twisted.

BTC

Kendall rapidly flipped through the Book inside the attic, James seated behind him with his eyes closed and a pleased grin on his face, Carlos seated on the floor playing with his new race track, and Logan was standing and pacing the floor, glaring jealously both at the track and Kendall. "My turn!" Logan proclaimed, dropping to the floor beside Carlos and yanking the controls to the track from him.

"Hey!" Carlos yelled, lunging for it back.

"Can it you two!" Kendall ordered snappishly. He cried out in exasperation and slammed the Book shut. "There is nothing in this thing!"

"Probably because you're the one looking." Logan retorted. "If it were me…"

"Ha!" Carlos held up the control and Logan glared at him, lunging for it again and causing them both to tumble into a shelf which wobbled upon contact and Kendall yelped, running over and keeping it from falling on them.

"And yet _you_ almost get crushed, and _James_ is still sleeping over there!" Kendall snapped.

"I'm not sleeping." James hummed happily. "Just having the best premonitions ever."

"From what?" Kendall demanded.

James held up a small gold pin. "It's from Officer Hottie's shirt." He explained. "And if the movie is anything like the previews, wow." He closed his eyes again.

Kendall groaned in frustration as the doorbell rang. "Now who could that be?"

"I got it!" Logan declared as James peeked out the attic window.

"It's Officer Hottie, so no you don't!" James retorted, shoving Logan out of the way as the two middle brothers fought their way down the stairs.

"Kendall, we just have different priorities than you do." Carlos informed the blonde. "How 'bout I buy you a new Blu-Ray player?"

BTC

James pulled open the door, just barely making it before Logan did. "Hiya." James purred at Ariana. "Come back to finish what we started?"

"This isn't a social call." Ariana hissed, kicking him in the stomach. James stumbled backward and fell onto the floor. "You know, you're a real piece of work!" She yelled, slapping a box off the foyer table. Logan spotted the gun in her hand and hid behind the wall to the living room. James paled as the barrel in her hand was pointed directly at his chest and he tried to scramble back to his feet. "I got suspended because of you!"

James put up his hands in a way he hoped was passive. "I'm sorry." He apologized, backing away from her.

"Sorry's not going to cut it, Diamond!" She hollered, her face turning the same color as her hair. "You think you can ruin someone's life and say _sorry_ and it'll all be okay? How am I supposed to care for my sister? How will I pay her hospital bills now?!"

"Please don't. I'll talk to the guys at the station. I'll get them to reconsider your suspension!" James pleaded. "Don't do this, Ariana!"

"It's too late now, Diamond!" Ariana roared, her finger tightening around the trigger.

" _James, no!_ " Logan shrieked, racing into the foyer and waving his arm at the gun. It did nothing but jerk itself in his direction. James felt all the air leave his body as he watched his older brother fall back against one of the stacks of Carlos's purchases, the witch himself racing down the stairs after hearing the commotion. Ariana pointed her weapon at him next.

"No!" James roared, tackling Ariana to the ground as Carlos ducked away from the shot that had fired as James and Ariana collided, tripping and falling down the stairs and landing on his side. James and Ariana's collision had caused the stacks topple over, and Carlos screamed as a glass display case for whatever fell on top of him.

Kendall staggered as he came down the stairs, his face white at the destruction. He spotted Carlos's arm lying underneath the case with glass shattered around him, Logan lying a few feet away with blood gushing from his abdomen, and James closer to the door, unconscious with blood leaking from his lips. "Can't save what you lost." A male voice hissed in his ear as a pair of arms grabbed him, and Kendall and Lukas misted away from the staircase.

Carlos groaned and weakly shoved the case off him, crawling out from under it and attempting to stagger to his feet. He cried out in pain and crumpled back down, his legs surely broken. "Jo. Jo!" Carlos yelled, pulling himself up the stairs. He had to get Jo. Luckily, Kendall and Jo's bedroom was just left of the stairs, and he let out a loud whimper after once again trying to pull himself up.

Jo's eyes snapped open from her nap and she gasped in horror after spotting Carlos crouched on the floor, obviously in pain. "Carlos!" She yelped, skidding to her knees beside her charge. A bright blue glow flashed across her body.

Carlos glanced at her in pained confusion. "You just glowed."

"Forget that. I have to get you healed." Jo commanded.

"No, no, you have to orb downstairs and heal James and Logan first," Carlos shook his head rapidly, and a bright orange glow flashed over his body.

"You just glowed, too." Jo informed him, reaching over and placing her hands over his chest, her palms glowing bright gold. "It's the sins." She breathed. "We just got rid of them."

"I thought there was no magical way to remove them." Carlos protested, grunting as he pushed himself to his feet.

"There's not." Jo replied. "But there must be a human way. An act of great selflessness."

Carlos' eyes widened. "James and Logan!" He yelped, racing back down the stairs with his sister-in-law on his heels. Jo skidded in beside James first, he being closer to the stairs, and placed her hands beside his ear, healing him quickly. James groaned and rolled over onto his back, blinking open.

"Oh, hey, Jo." James mumbled dazedly. "Whatcha doin' up?"

"Saving you." Jo grinned at him.

"Jo!" Carlos screech for the whitelighter had both Jo and James scrambling to his side, right beside a deathly pale Logan. Carlos's dark brown eyes were wide with fear. "I don't think he's breathing!" Jo paled and her hands began to glow brightly over the gunshot wound in Logan's stomach. For a long moment, nothing changed.

"Why-Why isn't anything happening?" James demanded fearfully. Jo didn't answer, and they all relaxed as the wound in Logan's stomach disappeared and Logan gasped, lurching up with his eyes wild.

"What happened? What's going on?!" Logan panted.

"You're okay, big brother. Just survived a gunshot to the stomach is all." James shrugged as if it was nothing.

"Oh, is that all?" Logan breathed sarcastically. His chocolate eyes darted around. "Where's Kendall?"

"I think the demon got him." Carlos admitted.

"And with his Pride intact, he'll never admit that he's in big trouble." James added.

"Which means we have to find him fast." Logan nodded and was helped to his feet by his little brothers.

BTC

Kendall struggled against the binds tying him to the cement post inside of Lukas' warehouse, the owner of which was chuckling darkly. "You think you can break free, but you can't." Lukas informed Kendall smugly. "That's why Pride is the deadliest of all sins. It makes you think that you're invincible. That anything that comes against you will surely fall."

"My powers-," Kendall began.

"Useless now. Corrupted by your own sin." Lukas replied. It was almost like he was enjoying this. Being a demon and all, he probably was. "You've only a small window of opportunity to save your life before it's too late."

"No demon has ever defeated me." Kendall declared, glaring at Lukas. "You won't be the first."

"That's the thing. I don't have to defeat you." Lukas turned and walked away. "You'll defeat yourself. In a few short minutes you'll be so far gone that you'll self-destruct. Just like all the rest." Lukas walked over and grabbed a staff made from the same crystal as the box and tapped the floor. Kendall flinched away from the gaping hole in the floor, the walls decorated with bones. "Witness the Pit of Everlasting Torment! Prides before you go before a very long fall, Kendall." Lukas announced. "Sad thing is, the souls are near impossible to gain at that point." Kendall's eyes flashed at that.

"So, basically," Kendall wriggled around in his bonds, and suddenly, they were loose. "I win, you lose! Ha!" Kendall crowed, and jumped headfirst into the pit.

"No!" Lukas roared.

"Ahh! That was not meant to happen!" Logan screeched, racing up with Jo, Carlos, and James on his heels. "Go, go, go, go!" He barked at Jo, who immediately orbed down into the pit.

"Why did he have to get Pride?" Lukas groaned. "Pride is the one sin you can't beat!" Logan flung his arm at Lukas and the demon went flying into the wall of the warehouse.

"I see orbs!" James cried, pointing down into the Pit where blue and white bubbles were visible. They flew out and landed on the edge of the pit, vanishing to reveal a stricken Jo holding onto a struggling Kendall.

"Let go! Let go of me!" Kendall snapped, wrenching himself away from his wife. "I can do it myself!"

"I was saving you!" Jo cried back, flabbergasted.

" _Saving_ me!" Kendall snorted. "I didn't need you to save me; I had everything under control!"

"Uh, oh." Carlos winced. "Pride's still strong. So how do we get it out?"

"Maybe by vanquishing our dear friend Lukas?" Logan suggested. He raised his arm and Lukas yelped as he was pulled toward the pit and hung over it. Logan fisted his hand and Lukas let out a scream as he was dropped.

"Nice." James hummed, picking up the sin box. Logan grinned. Kendall cried out as his body flashed purple and the white orb landed inside the box. "So, there's Pride, and that must be Anger." James added as a second white ball flew into the box. "Which means that Officer Valentine is okay now." James tossed the box into the pit and Kendall grabbed the staff, tapping it on the floor and closing the pit.

"Hold up! Is this another one?" Carlos demanded, holding up a gleaming white crystal.

"Doesn't look like it." James disagreed.

"Wait, remember that after someone self-destructs their soul is collected?" Logan asked. Carlos, Kendall, and James nodded. "So, who was the only one infected with sin that self-destructed?"

"The businessman from this morning." James breathed.

"So how about you go and release him?" Carlos asked, passing the crystal to Jo. "You know, someplace nice?"

Jo smiled. "I know the perfect place." She replied, orbing away.

"Well, I guess we showed that demon, huh?" Kendall chuckled awkwardly. James cleared his throat pointedly. "Okay, you guys showed that demon." Kendall corrected himself.

"See?" James punched Logan lightly on the shoulder. " _Told_ you we needed you."

"Oh, shut up." Logan rolled his eyes. "I'm exhausted. Believe it or not, Envy is _really_ tiring and the only thing _I_ want is my bed."

"I second that." Carlos raised his hand, and the three turned around and walked away.

"Hey, wait for me!" Kendall yelped, racing after his brothers.

BTC

The next morning found Carlos and Kendall clearing out the house of Carlos' purchases. "I can't believe I went _this_ out of control. I blew our budget!" Carlos whined, dropping his head into his hands.

"Luckily, we could sell most of this junk on EBay, get most of our cash back." Kendall replied assuredly. "And you've got that interview with that really fancy restaurant tomorrow."

"Still." Carlos "Logan was right. Before the sin thing I was really blowing it."

"Yeah, I guess Lukas was actually able to teach us something." Kendall shrugged. "Taught me that I shouldn't care what those Elders think of my marriage. If they don't like it, they can screw themselves."

"I'll Amen to that!" James hollered, walking in through the less-crowded front door. "And to this. The paper that I wrote for my Ethics course about sexual politics, claiming that my atrocious behavior with my professor was actually an experiment, and I got a B!"

"He bought it?!" Carlos cried.

"Not only did he buy it, but now I'm able to graduate on time with my classmates in three months!" James fist-bumped Kendall and Carlos with an elated grin. "Things are going well for James Diamond, and no one, not even Muffy, can turn it around!"

"Well, I'm proud of you." Kendall informed James with a smile.

"Oh, and coming from Superwitch…" James ducked out of the way of a head slap with a laugh. "Hey, where's Logan? I wanna tell him the good news!"

"He's in his room. Something about studying for a Biology exam." Kendall gestured up the stairs and James nodded, jogging up the steps and down the hallway to the brainiac witch's room, knocking lightly on the door.

"It's open!" Logan called from behind the door.

"So, I turned in my Ethics paper and I got a B! I'm going to be graduating on time, and-," James paused. "What's wrong?"

Logan shrugged from his spot on the window seat. Logan's was one of the only two in the house with one. His books were laid out on his bed, but they didn't appear to have been bothered for some time. "Nothing. Great job, James."

"Liar." James retorted, sitting on the seat across from him with one leg folded underneath him. "I've known you my entire life, Loges. I know when you're lying. What's up?"

Logan huffed. "It's mainly the whole Envy thing." He admitted.

"What about it?" James furrowed his brow.

"Our sins were determined by predisposition, remember?" Logan reminded him.

"Yeah, mine was the recent activity with Muffy. Carlos's was the excess spending lately, Kendall his wish to prove to the Elders that he was perfectly capable to be Superwitch and a good husband, and yours was the internship you wanted." James shrugged.

"I wasn't just envious about the internship, James. And that's what bothers me." Logan confessed.

"What else could you have been envious about?" James demanded in confusion.

"All of you!" Logan exclaimed, waving his arms. "It's like I said when we first found the businessman! Kendall's married, you're about to graduate, and Carlos has an interview tomorrow with a high-class restaurant." Logan deflated and rested his chin on his knees. "You're all going on with your lives and I feel like I'm stuck. When it comes to my powers, I literally _am_ stuck! The only thing constantly changing in my life is my relationship status with Camille, and to be honest I'm starting to tire of that, too!"

James blinked in shock. "Have you told Camille that?"

Logan nodded. "Broke up with me for that one." He muttered. "I'm not falling out of love with her, James, I just, it would be nice if everything I said that she didn't like didn't end up with me getting slapped and broken up with only to be getting back together at the end of the week. And to get broken up with again three days later!"

"Which is why you were envious of Kendall and Jo." James nodded in understanding.

"And you and Muffy by extension." Logan admitted. "Though I have no desire to have a demonic girlfriend." He added. James smirked. "What do I do?"

James shrugged. "The on again off again thing has always worked for you and Camille. Personally, I think you just favored the make-up sex a little too much." Logan snorted but didn't exactly disagree.

"But what happens when it stops working?" Logan asked softly.

For that, James had no real answer.

 **I had to get really creative with this one. Hence why it was over ten thousand words…**


	3. Thorns of a Past

_Logan's POV:_

I had to hide a snort of annoyance. Why should it be taking so long to choose a movie to watch? Kendall and Carlos were voting for action or a thriller, and Camille and Jo were banking on a romantic comedy or just a romance. "Come on, guys!" Carlos complained. " _The_ _Avengers_ has been out for two weeks! One more and it'll get pushed out of the theater for something else!" Kendall nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but _Titanic_ is playing at the revival house downtown and it's a classic!" Camille argued, and Jo pointed at her in confirmation.

"You _own_ the movie _Titanic_!" Kendall cried incredulously. "You can watch it whenever you want!"

"Titanic!"

"Avengers!"

"Logan, back us up!" My eyes snapped up from my lap to the pleading eyes of my brothers and the raised eyebrows of my sister-in-law and girlfriend.

I could very well get slapped for this, but… "Avengers." I decided.

 _End Logan's POV:_

"Ha!" Carlos cheered. "Three against two! Boys rule!"

"Logan!" Camille whined, shooting her boyfriend a glare.

Logan prepared himself for the slap that he knew was coming. They were becoming more frequent nowadays for some reason… "Sorry, babe, but we just watched Titanic the other day, and the Avengers did sound like the better choice because none of us have watched it yet." He explained.

The smart witch was saved from a useless argument that probably would have ended with a break-up by his younger brother walking up to the table of the restaurant they were currently occupying. "Hey, James! We're heading out to watch the Avengers!" Carlos informed his older brother with an excited smile. "Care to join us?"

"So, no Titanic at the revival house?" James asked the girls, who shook their heads.

"We were outvoted." Camille grumbled, shooting Logan another look. Logan sighed and idly swirled his sweet tea with his spoon. So, he hadn't avoided that argument after all. Great. "Unless you want to tie the vote."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second!" Carlos protested.

"So now we have a Power of Six, great." Kendall groaned. James looked thoughtful, and Jo's brown eyes landed on something behind them.

"Something tells me that James won't make a decision." Jo announced with a small smile. Kendall, James, Logan, Carlos, and Camille frowned at the whitelighter in confusion, and the blonde maiden pointed. Kendall, Camille, and James just turned around while Carlos, Logan, and Jo peered around them. James beamed.

Walking in the door of the restaurant was a familiar young woman, with long dark hair falling over her shoulder and caramel skin, dressed in a tight black dress with a small v neck collar. James hurried over to her and immediately pulled her into his arms. Logan wrinkled his nose but said nothing. "Muffy." James breathed in relief.

Well, 'woman' was probably not the most accurate description. Muffy smiled. "Hi Sweets." She whispered to him.

"I was so worried." James informed her quietly.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't come back until I was sure it was safe." Muffy apologized.

James furrowed his brow. "Is it safe now?"

Muffy smiled at him. "For the moment." James grinned and led her over to the table, Carlos pulling up a chair for her to sit.

"Hey. Welcome back." Kendall greeted.

Muffy grinned at him. "Nice to be back."

"Listen, I know you just got here, but we're kinda late for a movie." Logan informed his brother's demonic girlfriend.

"Care to join us? We'll need a recount now." Camille invited her.

"Actually, I was kinda hoping James and I could do some catching up on our own." Muffy admitted.

James brightened instantly. "Have fun guys!" He called, Muffy laughing quietly as she was gently towed out of the restaurant.

"I still don't like her." Logan muttered.

"Which means..." Carlos sang.

Camille groaned. "Avengers. Fabulous."

BTC

"I wasn't sure if you would make it in time for my graduation." James confessed as he and Muffy walked down the street, arm in arm.

Muffy smiled up at him. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Sweets." She sighed. "But I'm not sure how long I can keep this up."

"What?" James demanded.

"This. Hopping from one dimension to the next, avoiding bounty hunters." Muffy shrugged helplessly. "But even if I could stop, where am I supposed to go? I don't really belong anywhere. I'm not human enough to stay here with you. But I can't go back to the Underworld either."

James stopped walking and looked down at her. "What are you saying?" He demanded worriedly. Muffy wasn't giving him the 'talk' was she?

"That it's complicated. But I've been thinking, what if it doesn't have to be?" Muffy bit her lip. "You're a Charmed One. You have great magic, could there be a way for you and your brothers to strip me of my powers, so that I would be fully human?"

All the air left James' lungs as he stared down at his girlfriend in total shock. "You would give up your powers?"

"I can't be tempted to use what's not there." Muffy shrugged. "And, it would mean that I could stop running, and we could really be together…" She was cut off by James capturing her lips with his in a deep kiss.

"Beware the Brotherhood!" The couple separated in surprise at the screaming homeless man that was just a few feet away. Muffy stared at him with a quizzical look on her face. "Prepare for the Brotherhood!"

"Muffy, what is it?" James demanded.

"The Thorn is coming! The Brotherhood is coming!" The homeless man shrieked. Muffy continued to stare at him with a furrowed brow.

"Do you know him?" James demanded.

"No, but that doesn't mean what he's saying will-," Muffy shook her head, but wasn't able to finish her sentence.

A woman with dark chocolate skin and short black hair in a business suit shimmered behind the homeless man and yanked him by his neck into the alley. "Hey!" James shouted, tearing after them.

"James, don't-," Muffy tried, but her boyfriend was already entering the alley.

"No!" James yelled as the homeless man fell to the alley floor, the demon's athame red to the hilt. The demon glared at him and formed an energy ball, throwing it at the witch. James squeaked and jumped, accidentally triggering his Levitation and hovering three feet in the air. Using his power to his advantage, he swung around, kicking the demon in the head and knocking her to the alley floor, causing her to drop the athame. James dropped to his feet and swiped the athame, stabbing the demon as she rushed him. The demon screamed and her body lit into flames before she smoldered to ash, just as Muffy entered the alley. James whirled on her. "Where the hell were you?" He panted angrily.

Muffy sighed. "You just vanquished my sister." She admitted.

BTC

"You know, I find it funny how you know everything about me," James fumed, storming into the manor's sun room with Muffy on his heels. "But you fail to mention that, oh yeah, you have a sister?!"

"It's not that kind of sister, Sweets." Muffy informed him.

"How many other kinds of sister are there?" James snapped back just as Logan, Kendall, Carlos, and Jo raced into the conservatory.

"I think it's needless to say that a demon's timing sucks." Carlos complained. "We were just about to see Captain America beat Iron Man's ass."

"Yeah, well, I just kicked Muffy's _sister's_ ass, so I think I win." James retorted. His brothers' and sister-in-law's eyes widened significantly.

"Oh, this is better than the movie." Logan mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, she killed this poor street prophet, I guess." James furrowed his brow. "Who was screaming something about a Brotherhood?"

Jo gasped loudly and stared at Muffy incredulously. "Of the _Thorn_?" Muffy hummed and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, do you want to share with the class?" Kendall demanded, gesturing around the room. "What are you talking about?"

Jo glared at Muffy. "You should have told us."

Muffy shrugged. "Done a lot, make take a few years to tell it all."

"What Brotherhood?" Kendall pressed.

"The Brotherhood of the Thorn is an elite group of demons." Jo explained. "They are hand-picked by the Source and answer directly to the Source."

"Of which, I was once a member." Muffy shrugged. "Am a member, it's complicated."

"Once picked, they take a blood oath of absolute loyalty." Jo finished.

James' hazel eyes widened. "Oh, _that_ kind of sister."

"What matters know is they're surfacing. They must be planning something big." Muffy mused thoughtfully.

"So, why kill a crazy street preacher?" Carlos demanded.

"Because not all of them are crazy." Muffy answered calmly. "Some actually have magic. Can predict the future, sense the past. But their outer filth and loudness keep them from being looked at too closely. No one ever listens to them."

"Until now." Logan muttered.

Muffy nodded. "I'm betting that if you were to call Inspector Morris, he would tell you that other street preachers have been killed, too."

"Just for going on about a demon gang?" Carlos demanded.

Muffy shrugged. "The Brotherhood can't risk anyone finding out what they're up to."

"So, what are they up to?" Kendall demanded.

"How should I know?" Muffy retorted. "I'm not exactly a member of good standing anymore."

"The Prophet, I've seen him before." James furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "He was talking about PhotonVPS on my way to the restaurant."

"The internet provider?" Carlos demanded, frowning. "What, do demons need a website now?"

"No, there's gotta be more to it than that." Logan shook his head.

"Right, so, James, Logan, go check the Book, see what you can find on the Brotherhood, and I'll see what I can find on PhotonVPS." Kendall commanded.

"Save it." Muffy called before the brothers could go into action. "You won't be able to stop the Brotherhood with your research and wing it strategy. No offense."

Logan glared at her. "Offense taken."

"Logan." James sighed.

"No, Muffy's right. This isn't like anything you've seen before. Other than his personal assassin, the Brotherhood are the Source's most elite warriors." Jo agreed. "You go in this like you always do there's a high possibility you'll get yourselves killed."

"Okay, but we can't just let them go. How are we supposed to find out what they're up to?" Kendall demanded.

Muffy bit her lip. "I could go back." She suggested.

"Muffy." James protested.

"If we want to find out what they're up to then this is the only way." Muffy pointed out.

"They'll expose you to the Source. You'll get killed." James objected. "We'll figure something else out."

"Possibly not. They've already set up camp up here." Muffy replied. "I won't have to go under completely."

"It _is_ a good idea." Logan offered.

"Yeah, to _you_ , Logan." James snapped. "You're always looking to get rid of Muffy." Logan rolled his eyes.

"James." Kendall sighed.

"No. I'm not going to let you send yourself to your own execution." James shook his head and stormed out of the room.

"That went well." Carlos muttered as Muffy chased after him. "I kind of agree with James. Sending Muffy back there is like sending a recovering addict back to the drug house, isn't it?"

"Is there any other choice? How else are we supposed to learn more about this Brotherhood?" Logan replied. "Look, I know that you guys know that I think our lives would be so much better if Muffy just dropped off the face of the Earth, and most likely they would, but I know that you guys know that I care about James too. As much as I hate his taste in girlfriends, she is his girlfriend, and now making him happy so I haven't been saying anything."

"Much of anything." Kendall coughed into his hand. "We'll just leave that part of the plan up to them. Right now, let's just do what we do best."

"I'll orb up and ask the Elders about the Brotherhood, maybe they've been able to catch something." Jo offered.

Kendall nodded. "Good idea, Carlos, you can check the internet for this PhotonVPS, and Logan, you call Darryl, see what he knows, and I can check the Book." Jo quickly pecked his lips and disappeared in a flurry of blue and white bubbles.

BTC

"Sweets." Muffy sighed, finding James in the kitchen, mortar and pestle in hand. James ignored her. "You know I have to go."

"No, you don't." James disagreed.

"Do you want to know what the Brotherhood are up to or not?" Muffy demanded.

"Not at your expense." James disagreed.

"You can't answer like that, James." Muffy reminded him. "Greater good and all?"

James looked her dead in the eye, and she spotted the desperate stubbornness there instantly. "Remember when you asked me for that power-stripping potion, like an hour ago? Well, I have an idea, I just need time."

"James, I have to go." Muffy repeated. "And I'll need my powers while I'm gone."

"Why? What are you going to do?" James demanded.

"Just blend in. Fly on the wall." Muffy shrugged. "Nothing evil, I promise."

"Yeah, well, let me make sure you can't." James retorted.

"James." Muffy takes the mortar and pestle from him. "I'll be careful. I'll be smart. And I'll check in with you every two hours."

"How?" James demanded. "They'll track your shimmer."

"The mausoleum." Muffy replied calmly, then smiled. "It's the second safest place I know."

James frowned. "What's the safest?"

Muffy walked over and kissed him deeply. "With you." She breathed against his lips. "And I thought you would be proud of me."

"For going on a suicide mission?" James demanded incredulously.

"For fighting the good fight." Muffy corrected him. "Whatever the Brotherhood is up to, we can't just stand by and let it happen. You taught me that." She smiled and kissed him again. "Two hours." She reminded him softly, and shimmered away.

"Please be careful." James whispered to empty air.

BTC

In a classy building inside the commercial district of Los Angeles, Muffy's heels clicking against the granite floor alerted the others of her arrival to the office. The female demon, dressed in a black pantsuit and choppy red hair, curled her lips back in a snarl at the sight of the demoness. "Vornac." She hissed as Muffy stopped just inside the doorway. The one called Vornac turned around, his eyebrows raising.

"Well, Beatrix. What a surprise." Vornac purred.

"Kill her?" The one sitting at the desk demanded, standing up.

"Not just yet, Tarrin." Vornac disagreed, holding up his hand. "Beatrix, nice of you to join us for your death."

"I came to help." Muffy retorted matter-of-factly. "Overheard the Prophets talking. They'll spoil your plan."

The female snarled. "What makes you think we have a plan?"

"Klea, you always have a plan." Muffy deadpanned.

"And you think you can just pick up right where you left off?" Klea demanded.

"I came to do what's right." Muffy stated. "For the Brotherhood."

"Really?" Tarrin asked, almost in interest. Or amusement. "And what do you possibly have to offer us that will save your traitorous ass?"

Muffy didn't answer, and tossed something out onto the floor with a dead expression. Klea scowled at the disemboweled head lying on the tile of the office. "The Prophets." Muffy answered calmly.

Vornac pursed his lips and nodded, and Muffy didn't make a sound as she was yanked and bent over the desk, her arms behind her back and her head pressed to the glass surface. "You really expect me to believe you killed a Prophet?" Vornac hissed in her ear.

"He was a threat to you." Muffy stated, her voice slightly muffled thanks to the position she was being held in. She could easily escape, but then the plan would be foiled.

"Aww," Tarrin mockingly purred. "A bounty on your head and yet you still think of us."

"The Brotherhood comes first." Muffy replied matter-of-factly.

"Words to live or die by." Klea growled.

"Vya was assigned to kill that Prophet." Vornac informed Muffy. "Did you see him?"

"No." Muffy answered. "How is my old friend?"

"Your old friend is missing." Vornac replied. "Quite suspiciously." Vornac's hands disappeared from her wrists and the back of her neck, and Muffy pushed herself to a proper standing position.

"Sister missing, Prophets talking, if I didn't know better I'd say you were getting carless." Muffy hummed conversationally. "What does Raynor think of this?"

"Raynor thinks you're a disgrace." Tarrin informed her.

"Why?" Muffy asked. "Because I killed the Triad?"

"Should there be another reason?" Klea demanded spitefully.

"The Triad was planning to overthrow the Source. I had no choice. For the Brotherhood, for the Source." Muffy repeated.

"We never did trust the Triad anyway." Tarrin shrugged.

"Why not come back and explain yourself then?" Vornac demanded. "Why run?"

"Because I had no proof." Muffy answered. "I knew no one would believe me."

"A sister for nearly a hundred years and you disappeared without a word, left us to rumors, accusations. Check her story." Vornac commanded, and with a final snarl at Muffy, Klea shimmered away.

"Back to work, then." Tarrin sighed. "Who are we after?"

"Not your concern." Vornac snapped. "Until Klea returns she goes nowhere." Vornac shimmered out.

"Always was a tight-ass, wasn't he?" Muffy snorted.

Tarrin shrugged. "Can you blame him?"

Muffy found herself shaking her head. "No, no I can't."

BTC

Kendall couldn't stop pacing. "Kendall, would you stop that?" Logan demanded from his place in the armchair, his laptop firmly in his lap. "James will be fine."

"It's been over three hours. Muffy said she would check in after two." Kendall retorted, and continued his pacing. "Jo, maybe you should orb to the mausoleum, see if he's heard anything from her." The blonde suggested.

"James said he would call if he did." Carlos reminded them. "He's James. He'll be fine."

"PhotonVPS was the Prophet's words, right?" Logan asked, his brow furrowed as he stared at his laptop screen. "'Merger between PhotonVPS and meta-satellite faltered over the weekend.'"

"So, what? Muffy's risking her life over a stock portfolio?" Carlos demanded in confusion.

Logan shook his head. "No, it's more than that. According to this, if the merger were to happen, all of the world's affirmation flow will wind up in the hands of one company."

"Well, that's just evil in and of itself." Kendall muttered.

"Except," Logan held up one finger like he always did when stating fact. "One of the CEO's, a Frank Pirrelli, is getting cold feet about it."

"How much do you wanna bet the Brotherhood wants the merger to happen?" Carlos asked slowly.

"Yeah, but we need Muffy to confirm." Kendall replied, Logan snorting. "Which could be possible if someone were to orb to the mausoleum." Jo made a face at her husband but orbed away.

BTC

James jumped a foot in the air when Jo suddenly appeared behind him. "God, Jo! Don't do that!" The pretty witch scolded her.

"Sorry." His whitelighter apologized. "Heard anything yet?"

"It's probably a lot harder to break away then she originally thought." James answered confidentially, barely hiding the fear in his voice. "She'll show."

Not two minutes later, Muffy shimmered into the mausoleum. "Hey." She greeted breathlessly.

"Oh, thank god." James breathed, hugging her tightly.

"Nice to see you too, Sweets, but I don't have a lot of time." Muffy replied, pulling away from her boyfriend. "They're still very suspicious of me, but I did manage to find out a target. Someone at 31st and Boulevard at eight in the morning. But I have no idea who."

"That's okay, because I think we do." Jo replied. "Frank Pirrelli. A CEO of PhotonVPS that doesn't want a merger to happen."

"Makes sense." Muffy nodded. "Explains why they're so interested."

"How?" James was lost.

"Best way to set foot in the mortal world is through their businesses." Muffy explained. "So they can take control from the inside out."

"Just learn that?" James demanded with a raised eyebrow.

Muffy smirked at him. "Nope." She popped the p.

"So, all that we have to do is protect Pirelli until 11 for the merger and the Brotherhood loses." Jo stated.

"But if you intervene, the Brotherhood could think I had something to do with it." Muffy pointed out. "You could blow my cover."

"We can't let them kill Pirelli." Jo shot back.

"But will you risk killing me?" Muffy retorted.

"No, Muffy, we'll think of something." James disagreed. "You better get back."

Muffy kissed his cheek. "I can't wait to see how hot you are in a cap and gown." She breathed, then took the bottle of Coke James had been holding. "Can I borrow this?" She asked, shimmering out of the mausoleum.

BTC

"Where were you?" Vornac demanded snappishly as Muffy strolled back into the office. The demoness held up the Coke.

"Got thirsty. Want a urine sample?" She sniped back, taking a drag from the bottle.

"Your snippy attitude nearly got you killed once. Remember that." Vornac warned her.

"Yeah, I remember." Muffy retorted. "You saved me."

"Let's review, shall we?" Klea suggested, and a 3D image of 31st and Boulevard appeared. "We patrol the perimeter, reflect traffic, I'll monitor security. Once the limo's been cut off, Tarrin can throw the ball. At that…"

"No, wait." Vornac interrupted with a thoughtful expression. "Let Beatrix have the honor. After all, what better way to prove that she's still with us then to have her kill?"

"Fine." Muffy shrugged. "What's the target?"

Vornac glanced at her with a sadistic smile. "Why? Does it matter?" He asked her, and she stared back at him unflinchingly. "It's time."

BTC

Muffy straightened the collar of her jacket as Tarrin walked up to her. "Nervous?" He asked her.

"Should I be?" Muffy retorted.

"Just stick to the plan, Beatrix." Tarrin commanded. "That's all that matters. No complications."

"Agreed." Muffy nodded.

BTC

"Would it kill demons to have a better sense of timing?" Carlos grumbled, irritated at the early hour. Logan snorted at his little brother.

"Focus, guys." James commanded. "Muffy's life is on the line if we don't get this just right."

"So long as we wait till the very last second, Muffy will be fine." Kendall assured his brother.

"Let's just hope that Pirelli is all they want." Jo interjected.

"If he wasn't, wouldn't Muffy had said something?" Carlos asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, unless, you think she could be hiding something?"

"This is fabulous." James snapped. "First Logan can't wait to sacrifice Muffy, and now you're saying that she's a possible traitor?"

"It was just a question, asshole." Carlos bit back, glaring at his older brother.

"That you should know the answer to." James retorted. "Muffy's sacrificed a lot for us. The least we can do is trust her."

BTC

Vornac checked his watch and nodded. "Go." He commanded, climbing into his car just as Klea shimmered into the passenger seat. "Well?" He demanded.

"I can't prove or disprove Beatrix's story." Klea answered.

"That's alright. We're about to see where her loyalties lie." Vornac nodded, and slammed his foot on the gas, swerving out into traffic. Right in front of a jet-black limousine. Just as expected, the driver got out of the car and walked over to Vornac's car, yelling and cussing.

"What are you waiting for?" Tarrin muttered to Muffy. " _Go_!" Muffy nodded, her face cold and blank as she moved out onto the road in front of the limo. Vornac and Klea scramble out of the car and out of the way as a fireball formed in Muffy's hand, and she prepared to throw.

" _Statues_!" Kendall roared, waving his hands at the scene and transforming everyone within street into stone statues. Including Muffy and her near-extended arm, and the fireball she had nearly thrown. "Jo, go, go!" The blonde witch yelled, his wife disappearing in a flurry of blue and white bubbles into the limo, the orbs exiting the limo within the next second.

"Maybe we should take Muffy with us?" James suggested, looking worried at the Muffy-statue.

"No, she has to maintain her cover." Logan shook his head. "She'll have to figure her own way out. Come on, we need to go." James slid a slip of paper into Muffy's jacket and ran from the scene after his brothers, a split second before everything transformed back.

Muffy's fireball slammed into the hood of the limo, exploding it to bits. Vornac smirked. "Go, get the body." He ordered Klea.

Muffy frowned at him. "What do you want the body for?" She demanded. "It's burnt to a crisp."

"Even the slightest trace can alert the humans of the switch." Vornac replied.

Muffy's brow furrowed. "What switch?" She demanded. Vornac smirked, and his form shimmered, and suddenly Muffy was staring into the face of Frank Pirelli. Vornac shimmered away and reappeared down the street, where he was pulled into a car and driven off.

"Welcome back, sister." Tarrin smirked. "Feels good, doesn't it?" Klea shimmered in beside Tarrin and he frowned at her. "Where's the body?"

"It wasn't there." Klea informed him darkly.

Tarrin's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean it wasn't there?"

BTC

Jo walked into the living room from the kitchen just as Kendall shut the door behind his brothers. "Pirelli's in the basement. Carlos's sleeping potion worked."

"Carlos's Wiccan Pharmaceuticals at your service." The youngest muttered.

"How did it go?" Jo asked as Kendall flicked on the TV.

"James wanted a souvenir, but otherwise fine." Logan replied, ducking from the head slap his younger brother sent his way.

"Wonder if the kidnapping made the morning news?" Kendall hummed thoughtfully.

"What do we do now?" James demanded.

Logan shrugged. "That depends on your girlfriend. It's kinda up to her to let us know what the demons' next move-,"

"Uh, guys?" Kendall interrupted, his emerald eyes wide as he turned up the volume to the TV. On the screen was the face of the man snoozing in their basement.

"It's no coincidence that last night I changed my mind about the vote and this morning my murder was attempted." Pirelli informed the news reporter, which was happening live. "This proves I'm making the right choice. The merger will happen. Thank you."

"What was that about Muffy telling us everything?" Logan muttered sourly.

"If Muffy knew she would have told us!" James argued defensively.

"Are you so certain?" Kendall asked quietly. "She's back with her brothers and sisters, how are you sure that she didn't switch too?"

"Oh, now you're so keen to jump off the bandwagon?" James cried incredulously. "What changed?"

"Oh, I don't know, James, maybe our plan blowing up in our faces?" Kendall shot back.

"And that's all Muffy's fault, right?" James demanded hotly.

"Come on, James, even you have to admit that the switch was a pretty large detail that she missed." Kendall pointed out, trying to get his brother to see even a little sense.

"Okay, but Muffy's also done a lot of good, too." Carlos pointed out. "If she hadn't warned us, the real Pirelli would be dead, and not under the influence in our basement."

"You're my favorite as of right now!" James declared, pointing at Carlos, who grinned. "And instead of pointing fingers, why don't we try to come up with a plan?"

"Well, we only have a couple hours until the merger." Logan pointed out. "Which only gives us two hours to get the imposter out."

"Anything we could do could point Muffy out as the leak. We've gotta warn her first." James reminded.

"Do we?" Logan muttered.

"She deserves to know what we're up to." James glared at his older brother. He knew that Logan didn't like Muffy, it was a known fact in the manor, but Logan was being a total asshole for some ungodly reason, and it was pissing James off. "Give me a chance to tell her to get out of there."

"How are you gonna get her to meet you?" Jo demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"I slipped a note in her jacket on the street," James confessed. "Telling her to meet me at the mausoleum."

"Fine, but be careful." Kendall commanded. "If for whatever reason Muffy doesn't meet you, get straight back here so we can work on Plan B." James nodded and swiped the keys to the BTR-Mobile, briskly walking out of the manor.

"Do we have a Plan B?" Carlos asked.

"I think I might." Logan agreed, walking into the kitchen with his brothers and sister-in-law in tow. He reached up into the cabinet and searched around, before pulling out a vial full of dark violet liquid.

"The Beatrix vanquishing potion?" Carlos demanded. "You know James would flip out if he knows you still have a vial." He informed his older brother.

"Good thing he doesn't know that I have more than one." Logan retorted. "Saved a vial of it when we made the first batch, then made some extras, for emergencies."

"How many extras?" Kendall asked suspiciously.

"Beside the point." Logan replied evasively. "The point is, if the Brotherhood takes a blood oath of loyalty upon entry, then we should be able to use the Beatrix potion on the other members. At least, theoretically."

BTC

Muffy barely had time to stuff James' note back in her jacket pocket before Tarrin and Klea shimmered back into the office, along with Vornac. "That's impossible." Vornac growled angrily.

"Not if it was done magically?" Klea suggested.

"What do you think Beatrix?" Tarrin demanded.

"I think that Klea is right." Muffy declared. "Someone intervened, stopped our plan before we realized what was happening."

"Like who?" Vornac demanded.

"Honestly?" Muffy replied. "I think it could be witches."

"Witches?" Vornac repeated. "How?"

"How should I know?" Muffy retorted.

"Take a wild guess." Vornac challenged.

"Come on, Vornac." Tarrin appeased. "You can't honestly think that…"

"Don't tell me what to think!" Vornac snapped.

"Give me a break." Muffy snorted. "I'm not stupid enough to come back and betray you all in the same day."

"That's not stupid, that's smart." Klea retorted.

"You know what the worst thing is, Beatrix?" Vornac growled, stepping into Muffy's personal space. "The worst are the rumors that you left us with. The ones that say while you were a fugitive, you fell in love with a witch. And now, here we are, our operation blown apart by witches. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"

Muffy looked him dead in the eye. "The rumors are true."

"I knew it!" Klea hissed.

"I did fall in love with a witch. My human half still loves the witch. But I realized my mistake, and I believe I can atone for it." Muffy informed them.

"How?" Tarrin demanded.

"The witch I fell in love with." Muffy replied. "His brother has to the power to transfigure. I believe that's how they got the better of us all."

"How convenient." Klea hissed. "The witch you took to bed is onto us."

"Let me prove my loyalties." Muffy demanded, staring Vornac straight in the eyes. "Let me go to the witches and bring Pirelli back. Then you can pass your judgement."

"Are you saving us, sister?" Vornac shot back. "Or leading us into a trap? Go." Muffy nodded and shimmered out of the office. "If she's telling the truth, help her. If she's lying, kill her."

BTC

"Oh, god, Muffy." James gasped, whirling around after Muffy appeared in the mausoleum, and moved to embrace her.

"Don't." Muffy commanded bitterly, stepping back and raising her hand in warning. James froze, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"O-Okay." James nodded and dropped his arms.

"Where's Pirelli?" Muffy demanded.

"Safe, with us at the manor." James replied.

"Where?" Muffy pressed. Niether of them noticed the pair of eyes hiding in the shadows, watching.

"The basement." James answered in confusion.

"What's your plan?" Muffy demanded.

"Vanquish the demon that switched places with him." James frowned deeply.

"No." Muffy shook her head rapidly. "No, you can't. Too dangerous."

"Muffy, what's going on?" James demanded. Muffy didn't answer. "Muffy, dammit, you're scaring me!"

"You should be." Muffy retorted harshly. "Go back to the manor, wait for my word. Don't go after the demon."

"Muffy!" James cried, but it was too late. Muffy was gone.

BTC

"Hey, how'd it go?" Carlos asked as James walked into the living room, turning in his spot on the sofa to look at his older brother.

"I," James shook his head, as if stunned. "I'm not sure, exactly." He confessed, flopping down into an armchair. "She was, strange. Really strange, pretty much mean, almost."

"Did she say anything on the Brotherhood's plans?" Logan demanded, walking into the living room from the kitchen with Kendall on his heels.

"No, not really." James shook his head again. "Just told us not to go after the demon, just to wait here."

"What?" Kendall exclaimed. "Why?" James shrugged helplessly.

"She didn't say, just said it was 'too dangerous'." James replied. "It doesn't make sense, none of be this makes sense!" The pretty witch groaned and shoved a pillow over his face.

"Maybe she's losing her cover." Carlos suggested.

"Or she's turned." Logan muttered.

"Not listening to you!" James called out, his voice muffled.

"Come on, Loges, you have to admit that Muffy's earned the benefit of the doubt here." Kendall reasoned with his younger brother.

Logan opened his mouth to argue, but his face paled and he tackled Kendall to the ground as a crackling energy ball whizzed over their heads and crashed into the wall. Two more demons shimmered into the foyer next to the first, and Carlos leapt to his feet, forging a fireball in his hand and throwing it at the first demon. The demon roared in pain and outrage before exploding into dust. "Kendall! Potion!" Logan shrieked, and James' eyes widened as the vials of violet liquid soared through the air and shattered against the chests of the remaining demons, who followed the example of their partner.

"How did they know where we live?" Carlos yelled, pointing to the three piles of smoldering ash.

"How do you _think_?!" Logan seethed back, and the glass door to the grandfather clock shattered. "Dammit! I just paid the repairman for that thing!" Logan snapped, kicking the leg of the sofa.

"Logan! Calm down before you pull the frameworks out of the walls!" Kendall commanded. Logan growled under his breath and stormed out of the living room, muttering something about the broomstick.

"Excuse me!" James cried, waving his arms around with wide eyes. "What the hell was the potion?!"

"Demon Repellent 2.0." Carlos huffed.

" _What the hell are you doing?!"_ The three brothers heard their fourth sibling screech from the kitchen, followed by a loud crash.

"Logan!" Carlos yelled, the three of them bolting into the kitchen and finding their brother in a collapsed heap in the floor, his shirt smoldering and surrounded by shards of glass from the china cabinet, his face turning ashen white. James shot to the basement door as Kendall hollered for Jo, and his hazel eyes went wide.

Muffy stared back at him for a split second before vanishing, along with their innocent and another female demon. James spun around as Logan let out a groan and sat up, rubbing his chest where the fireball had apparently hit, and stared at his little brother coldly. "What do you think about your girlfriend now, James?" He demanded angrily. Kendall, Jo, and Carlos all shared a nervous look.

BTC

"James, I don't care _what_ you think right now!" Logan snapped. James crossed his arms and glared back at his older brother coldly. "The merger is in three minutes, we have to go!"

"Oh, so you're going to avoid the fact that you kept around a bottle of Beatrix vanquishing potion?!" James shot back furiously.

"Look, James, like it or not, it's a good thing he did, otherwise we all would be dead!" Kendall reminded him harshly.

"And when we're you planning on telling me?" James demanded.

"I wasn't going to, because I knew how you were going to react, so I thought I'd save myself an argument!" Logan cried.

"Obviously that backfired!"

"Yeah, just like your taste in girlfriends!"

"It was an accident!"

"She threw the fireball right _at_ me, James! Your demonic girlfriend nearly killed your brother and you're going to still _defend_ her?!"" Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. _Unbelievable_. Logan groaned. His brother was acting like a brat when they had a demonic merger to stop. "Whatever, let's just go. You can bitch at me all you want to when this is over." Logan grumbled.

"It's a date." James spat back. _There had to be more to what happened._ James thought desperately. _Logan had to be wrong. He_ _ **had**_ _to be._

BTC

Muffy grunted as she was slammed against the wall, held there by the hand at her throat. "What happened?!" Vornac hissed. "You cost me three of my best demons!"

"The witches were more prepared than we thought they would be." Klea informed him.

"I didn't tip them off!" Muffy spat.

"Did she?" Vornac demanded, glancing at Klea.

"She told the witch to go home. It could have been code." Klea replied.

"It wasn't. The plan was to get Pirelli." Muffy reminded them. "I did that."

"Then where is he?" Tarrin demanded.

"Someplace safe until I can guarantee you won't kill me." Muffy retorted.

"And how am I supposed to be certain that you do have him?" Vornac demanded.

"I was there. She has him." Klea reluctantly confirmed.

"It's time, I have to get back." Vornac announced, stepping back from Muffy, but not without a final squeeze to her neck. "If you don't deliver Pirelli after the vote, I will kill you."

"No, wait." Muffy reached out and grabbed him, successfully stopping him from shimmering out of the office.

"What?" Vornac snapped.

"I know these witches. They know that you're an imposter. Now that I've kidnapped Pirelli, they'll do all that they can to stop us. They'll vanquish you, Vornac." Muffy explained, her eyes and voice dripping with deathly seriousness.

Vornac smirked. "But will they vanquish you?"

BTC

The resulting thunder crack from the door colliding with the wall would have been deafening, if the Charmed Ones hadn't been expecting it. "Vote's in, demon guy!" Carlos declared loudly. "You lose!"

The office chair spun around, and James grabbed Carlos's arm. "No, Carlos, wait!"

Muffy smirked at them from the chair and spread her arms with a raised eyebrow. "Surprised?"

"What are you doing here?" Kendall demanded. "Where's the demon?"

"He sent me instead." Muffy answered, folding her hands in her lap. "I think he might be onto us."

"Us?" Logan snorted. "You make it sound like we're working together."

Muffy cocked an eyebrow at him. "Aren't we?"

"Who are you kidding?" Carlos snapped. "We should vanquish you on the spot." _No one attempts to kill_ _ **my**_ _brother on a double-cross and gets away with it_. Carlos added silently, angrily.

"Where's Pirelli?" Kendall demanded.

"He's safe." Muffy answered calmly, standing up from the chair and walking around the desk before sitting back on it.

James eyed her. "Where is he, Muffy?"

"Where else, Sugar?" Muffy retorted. James' eyes darkened and he lobbed the potion at Muffy.

"James!" Kendall cried, surprised. His surprised turned to stunned realization as the screaming Muffy turned into a roaring male demon before evaporating into ash. Wide eyes turned to James. "How did you know?"

"He called me Sugar." James answered simply.

"Okay, so?" Logan gestured wildly to the scorch marks.

" _So_ ," James grinned, forgetting that he was in a conflict with his telekinetic brother. "Muffy has always called me _Sweets_ , not Sugar."

"Original nickname, isn't it?" A female voice teased behind the witches. "Hey, hey! Easy!" Muffy shrieked, throwing her arms up over her face as Kendall, Logan, and Carlos each prepared to throw their potions. "Allow a condemned woman a last word or two, okay? I had no choice to play it this way. The Brotherhood were too suspicious of me. I had to make everyone think I was evil."

"And that included throwing a fireball at me?!" Logan cried.

"I was in the middle of a kidnap. Klea was right next to me. I couldn't do anything else." Muffy retorted. "I could have aimed lower." She screeched as Logan's bottle of potion shattered a mere _centimeter_ from her toe. "Hey!"

"I could have aimed higher." Logan sneered back, his brown eyes glimmering with hatred with the demoness as he shoved past her.

Muffy sighed. "Forgive me?" She pleaded softly at James.

James smiled. "I never doubted you. Though, if you want to get on Logan's good side, stop throwing fireballs at him."

Muffy nodded. "Noted. I better go."

" _Go_?" James parroted incredulously. "You can't go back!"

"Just covering my tracks, Sweets." Muffy coaxed him. "Tell Jo to go to the mausoleum. You want the real Pirelli there at the merger." She informed Kendall, who nodded stiffly. "Don't worry." She lightly kissed James on the lips. "I'll be back in plenty of time for your graduation party." With that, she shimmered away.

James beamed at Kendall and Carlos. "Told you so." He gloated.

"She nearly killed Logan just to maintain her cover, James." Kendall reminded him bleakly. James' face fell. "I'm not sorry to say that your little girlfriend is going to have to re-earn my trust." Carlos nodded in agreement, and James face-palmed, but followed his brothers out of the office.

BTC

"You saw the witches kill Vornac?" Tarrin demanded. Muffy shrugged.

"I saw what was left of him after they left." Muffy corrected. "I went back to kill Pirelli, but they managed to sneak him away as well."

"This is a disaster!" Tarrin groaned loudly. "Raynor would not be pleased about this. He wants a full accounting, you know."

"Tell him that I warned Vornac but he chose not to listen. Vornac's own ignorance was the downfall today, nothing to do with me." Muffy replied coldly, and turned to leave.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Tarrin demanded.

"I need proof if I'm going to clear my name to the Source." Muffy replied nonchalantly. "I can't find any sitting around here."

Just as she turned away, Klea and another male demon, this one with deep chocolate skin and a bald head appeared just behind her, and the chocolate skinned demon's energy ball collided with Muffy's back, knocking her unconscious to the floor. Tarrin sighed. "You were right, Raynor." He addressed the chocolate-skinned demon.

"Beatrix has much to tell us." Raynor rumbled in a deep voice.

BTC

The manor was packed with people, and James accepted a congradulatory hug from one of his classmates, but there was worry in his hazel orbs. "Hey." Logan approached his brother, a bottle of Coke in his hands.

"She's not here, why isn't she here?!" James hissed worriedly to him, and Logan's face fell.

"You heard Muffy." Logan replied soothingly. "She has some loose ends to tie up. Maybe that's just taking a little longer than she thought it would. As much as I hate to admit it, she did good today, James."

"I accept the apology." James responded. Logan fondly rolled his eyes. "And yeah, she helped us a lot, but at what cost?"

"Come on, Jay. You can't think of it like that." Logan encouraged.

"Why not? Evil always manages to screw every part of our lives over, why wouldn't it screw this over too?" James demanded. "All I know is, yesterday everything was amazing, and now it's all gone to hell. Where is she? What happened to her?"

 **Guys, I am so so so** _ **so so so**_ _ **sorry**_ **that this is so late. My schedule has been jam packed and all this other stuff has been happening and ahh! I won't let myself be this late again, and if I am you have my permission to vanquish me.**

 **So sorry!**


	4. Important AN, DO NOT SKIP OVER!

**Hey, guys. I know you were hoping for an update, but sadly this isn't one. Sorry. BellaRosa17 recently alerted me that BTC was missing from my author tab. It turns out that a little stinker (I won't name names) got into my computer and hacked my Fanfiction account, and deleted BTC without my knowledge, along with all the docs that were in my docmanager and nearly all the documents inside my Microsoft Word, INCLUDING the chapter that was nearly finished for BTC. GRRR!**

 **I know you guys were hoping for an update, but I just wanted to let you know that it might be a few more days before the next BTC chapter gets up. Life is really starting to get in the way, I've been pulling a lot of shifts at my job and I'm currently attempting to get into college which is turning out to be MORE DIFFICULT than it needs to be, and there are a lot of other projects that I'm working on that demand my attention. I just wanted you guys to know what was up, and know that I AM working on the next chapter for BTC, it just might take a little bit longer than any of us would have liked for it to.**

 **Sorry!**


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